This chapter and the next (Chapters Two and Three) follow the events of Amelia and The Magic Slate. I hope you enjoy!

Cooper and the Temporal Nexus

Chapter Two

It was a rough landing. Later, he would think it was yet another metaphor. There was an unusual clicking sound at the end, the whining seemed louder than he thought it should, and, even though he was holding her against his chest, Amelia repeatedly slammed into him as the time machine skidded and thumped to a halt. Once it stopped, they were met with the smell of burning electronics so strong it made Cooper's eyes water. He open the door cautiously, glancing around his empty apartment through the smoke, fearful of when they landed. All looked in order, but he needed to get to his phone to check the date -

"I'm going to be sick," Amelia said with groan, the type that was already thick and wet with bile.

"Come on!" Cooper pulled her along to the bathroom as quickly as he could and barely got the toilet lid up before she purged into it. He held her braids while she vomited and even through the retching sounds of dry heaves that followed. He tried his best to ignore the sickly stench. At last, she stopped.

"Do you still feel sick?" he asked.

Amelia shook her head weakly. "I don't think so."

"Don't move, stay like this, I'm going to go get you some water," he instructed. He ran out of the bathroom and poured a large glass of water at the kitchen sink.

Poor Amelia had compiled, still kneeling, clutching the edge of the toilet bowl even though it meant she was looking down into that mess.

"Here, swish it around and then spit it out," Cooper said. Amelia took the water and did as he requested. "Okay, you can sit back." On instinct, Cooper reached up to flush the toilet.

Yelping, Amelia attempted to back away, the soles of her boots scraping the vinyl flooring. Her breath was coming fast and loud.

"I'm sorry! I forgot." Cooper took a deep breath. "It's a toilet. An indoor outhouse. And the force of the water makes the sewage drain. It actually exists in your time, in big cities." He held his hands out wide. "I guess this is as a good a place as any to start the tour. This is the bathroom. There's a bathtub behind this curtain -" he waved "- and here's the sink. Do you think you can stand?"

Amelia nodded, her eyes still wide. Cooper put out his arms and she stood. She was so very pale. "How about some tea? It might settle your stomach."

"Yes," she whispered.

His arm protectively around her, Cooper led her to the living room, the time machine still gasping and smoking in the corner by the window. Amelia coughed. "Here, sit down," Cooper said, leading her to the sofa, "I'll open the window and get your tea."

Lurching, Amelia grabbed the left edge of the sofa and started to sit down. "Oh, no - not there. Sorry." Cooper helped her move toward the middle.

Once she was settled, he crossed over to the landing and behind his machine to open the window. He was surprised to see the sun already touching the western horizon. There was fan on the bookshelf there, and he rearranged things so it was blowing the smoke outside. Already, the smell was lessening. Glancing at Amelia, so pale, so still, he went to the kitchen to put the kettle on before taking down two mugs and putting peppermint tea bags in both. "Amelia?"

"Huh?" she looked up it, her face slack.

"Do you still feel nauseous?"

"I'm - I'm not sure," she finished weakly.

The kettle whistled and Cooper busied himself making the tea before carrying the mugs over to the sofa. He sat them both down, gave a soft sound of satisfaction as he felt his spot around him once more, and then reached for his phone on the end table. He exhaled when he saw the date. "Good news, we landed on the correct date. Later in the day than I wanted, but that's an acceptable standard deviation."

He put his phone back down and turned toward Amelia. She was taking slow, quiet sips, staring out in front of her, but at least her color was returning. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you," she said.

"Sorry about the rough landing."

She shrugged.

"So, this room is called the living room. And the kitchen is over there, of course," Cooped said, shuffling his feet.

"There's a lot of things," Amelia said.

"Oh." Cooper looked around at all the furniture, the electronics, his collectibles, the gadgets of everyday life. Compared to Amelia's sparsely clean cabin, it did look cluttered. "I guess so."

"Cooper?" She finally turned to look at him. "I think I might feel better if I ate something," she said.

"Oh! Of course!" He leaned forward and set his mug on the coffee table. "How selfish of me. Did you even have breakfast?" She shook her head. "How about I introduce you to those chocolate chip pancakes?"

It was a weak smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. "That sounds wonderful."

As he mixed the ingredients at the island, Cooper watched Amelia, sitting still in the middle of the sofa, turning her heard first one way and then another, looking around slowly. "You can get up if you feel like it. Look at things."

Amelia stood and at first seemed unsure where to go, but then she headed to the bookcase behind the sofa. She leaned down and started to run her fingers along the spines of the books, making Cooper smile. Disappointed he couldn't watch, he went to the corner to cook the pancakes on the stove.

"What are all these books about?" he heard Amelia ask.

"Mostly physics or mathematics. A little bit of history."

"What's physics?"

"The most wonderful and useful branch of science of them all!" Cooper said, putting the first set of pancakes on a plate. "In the most simple terms, it's the study of matter and how matter moves through space and time."

"Gravity? Is that why you were going to see Issac Newton, to ask him about the apple falling on his head?"

Cooper grinned as he poured more batter. This Amelia! She never ceased to surprise him! "No, I had a question about optics. And that story is a myth."

"That's a shame." A long pause, then Amelia called, "You study geology, too?"

"Geology!" Cooper said. "How did I get a geology book?" He sighed. Leo must have left it behind. "Yes, even I was forced to take an Earth sciences class once."

Just as he flipped the second set of pancakes, he heard a scream. Running around the refrigerator, he found Amelia standing in front of the open window, on the other side of the time machine, her hand to her mouth. Running, he said, "What's wrong?"

Only when he looked out did he realize his error. All of Pasadena was spread out before them, four stories down, cars whizzing by in the sunset. It was a very beautiful sight, but also, he understood too late, a frightening sight for one unprepared for a modern city. He pulled Amelia in tight, shielding her face against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't think -"

"How high are we?" she whispered.

"Four stories. About forty-five feet."

"And the city?" she mumbled.

"Los Angles. Technically, just a small part of Los Angles."

"I'm okay." Amelia's pushed away and looked up at him. "I was just surprised."

Cooper nodded and then noticed the smell of overcooked food. "The pancakes!"

Rushing back to the kitchen, he rescued the last batch just in time. One side was a little too brown, but he'd eat those. Making Amelia another mug of tea, he sat the plates on the island and invited her over. She ate slowly, and they didn't speak much. Finally, Amelia pushed her plate away.

"Cooper?" He looked at her. "I need to . . . does it work . . . I just use it like the outhouse?" She blushed and turned away.

Wiping his face with a napkin, Cooper again felt foolish and cruel for overlooking yet another essential item. "Yes. Remember how I flushed it earlier?" She nodded. "When you're done, you do that and it drains away."

"And, Cooper? I'm tired."

It could be pointed out that it was probably only mid-morning at the latest. But the sun was setting here and even Cooper would have admitted he was exhausted. And he hadn't just ran away with a stranger from the future, leaving behind all he knew and loved, facing all sorts of bizarre sights and technologies.

"Would you like to take a bath and go to bed?" he asked.

"Oh, can I have a bath? It's not too much trouble?"

Cooper smiled. "Not at all." He tilted his head. "Go use the toilet, and I'll get you something to sleep in."

Once he was standing in his bedroom, it registered that he had nothing that she would be accustomed to wearing. Yet something else he hadn't considered. What would Amelia wear? How would she brush her hair? What if she needed, he frowned, feminine hygiene products? He didn't know the first thing about woman's clothing, and Amelia was in no state for him to take her shopping. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he pulled out a clean set of his pajamas and a matching robe.

Standing in the hallway, he heard the toilet flush and the sound of the sink. Then Amelia opened the door. He held out the stack of clothing. "I'm sorry, it's all I have for you to wear. They're too big, but they're clean. Here, let me start the tub."

After pulling back the shower curtain, he turned on the faucet and explained the hot and cold, that she could use his shampoo and soap for now. Then, as the bathtub filled, he got her a towel and a washcloth out of the cabinet.

"Cooper, these are pants?" Amelia said, and he turned around to see her holding up his plaid pajama bottoms. "You sleep in pants?"

"Of course - oh. Nightshirts have gone out fashion here long ago," he explained. "They may be big enough you don't have to wear the pants, if you don't want to. There's a robe there to cover up with."

For a second, the image of Amelia wearing just his pajama top flashed before his eyes, and he forced it away. But it reminded him of another obvious factor he had overlooked. Should he ask her to sleep in his bed? It felt so wonderful, waking up wrapped around her. But no, it felt wrong. Some sort of chivalrous code stopped him. The idea of even insinuating that to her now that she was here, even accidentally implying that was why he had asked her to come . . . he shivered at the thought. Amelia needed to adjust to the present on her own terms, and, later, when she was ready . . .

"Here, test this water temperature," he instructed. Amelia put her hand in and nodded. "Okay, I'll leave you to it." He wondered what she would say, if she expected him to stay and bathe her just as she had him. But, again, no. "I'm going to go make up your bed."

He waited for her to nod deeply, and he knew that she understood him. There were no obligations here.

Leaving her, he went to get some clean sheets and spare blankets to make up Leo's old bed. His best friend and former roommate had moved across the hall to live with Penelope just last month, and, although he had taken his clothes and personal belongings, his furniture had stayed behind given the lack of space and need in the other apartment. Cooper had grumbled a bit at the time, but now he was grateful.

While Amelia bathed, he checked his email and sent one to work, stating he was taking the rest of the week off for a personal emergency. Just as he was cleaning up their dinner dishes, he heard the bathroom door open and Amelia called for him.

"Yes?" he rounded the corner and she was wearing his pajamas and robe, the robe knotted tightly around her and the pajama pants rolled up at the cuffs. She was holding her dress, folded, in one hand and her boots in the other.

"Is it true the water spins in the opposite direction in Australia?" she asked.

Smiling, Cooper said. "It's random. It has to do with suction and the force of the water as it drains down the pipes into the sewer system. Some people claim it has to do with the Coriolis effect, but that's a myth that -" He stopped when he noticed how tired she looked standing there. "That's a myth that's better saved for another day. Do you feel ill again? Maybe pancakes weren't the best idea. I should have made plain toast."

Amelia shook her head. "I'm just tired."

"Here, let me show you your room." Cooper waved toward the end of the hall and Amelia followed. "I'm sorry it's so empty and plain. Leo just moved out."

He watched her as she walked around the room, running her fingers along the top of the dresser and the empty book shelf. "No, I like it. It's simple." She smiled at him, then asked, "What is this?"

"A closet. You can hang your dress there, if you like." Cooper helped her hang up her belongings and shut the door on them. "I've devised a plan to get you more clothes and . . . things. Then we can wash this one." She nodded. "Shall I leave you now to sleep?" She nodded again.

Suddenly feeling like he was a trespassing stranger once more, he put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a brief peck on her cheek. "Amelia? I'm so very happy you're here with me. But I want you to know this room can be yours, just yours, as long as you want it to be."

She looked up and smiled softly at him. "Thank you."

"Of course. Sweet dreams."

Turning, shutting the door behind him, he went back to the living room and set up his whiteboard, preparing to work on his calculations, starting to figure out what could have gone wrong. After working for a half-hour or so, he went to listen at Amelia's door. All was quiet and he hoped she had fallen asleep.

Knowing both that the next step was unavoidable and that it was imperative for Amelia's comfort, he crossed the hall and knocked on Leo and Penelope's door. Leo opened it, with Penelope's face just beyond his shoulder.

"You're back! What happened?" Penelope asked right before Leo said, "Did you -"

"There's a girl sleeping in my apartment that I brought back from the past," Cooper interrupted him. "Her name is Amelia. Penelope, I will require your assistance tomorrow in obtaining her clothing and other feminine accruements. Be at my apartment at 9:00 a.m. Dress conservatively, not in any of your Nebraskan slut wear. Good-bye." He turned on his heel to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Leo yelled. Cooper stopped in the hallway and turned, sighing. Well, it had been a good effort.

"There's a what in your where who came from when?" Penelope asked, her eyes the widest he'd ever seen them. Which was saying a lot, as Penelope was able to make her eyes rounder and bigger than anyone else he knew.

"There's a girl sleeping in my apartment that I brought back from the past. Her name is Amelia," Cooper repeated.

"I think you'd better come in," Leo said, opening the door wider, sweeping his free arm out.

He knew what would happen next. He sat in the spare chair while they sat the sofa, facing him to pepper him with questions. Or bullets like a firing squad.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Leo said.

"But leave out all the sciencey stuff," Penelope added.

Clearing his throat, Cooper told them the story, leaving out most of his scientific observations; he needed to formulate some hypotheses first, anyway, about what went wrong. He also left out any references to bathing, nudity, or sleeping in the same bed. Pleased with his concise and mostly accurate tale, he sat back and waited for the barrage of questions.

"Great galloping horses," Penelope said with a low whistle. She turned to Leo, "Got to admit I didn't see that coming."

Leo just nodded, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Anyway," Cooper said, standing, "she only came with the clothes on her back. She needs everything. Clothes, hairbrush, whatever it is you ladies spend all your money on." The word money reminded him and he pulled out his wallet to give Penelope his credit card. "I'll just give this to you now. Whatever she needs. You might start thinking of a list. Conservative clothes, of course, that's what she's used to. Covering her body. Skirts. Long sleeves."

"I finally get Cooper's credit card and I have to buy grandma clothes," Penelope whined.

"That's probably an excellent idea," Cooper said. "I knew you were just the person for the job."

Glancing once more at Leo's frozen form, Cooper said, "Nine? Knock first, please."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Penelope said.

Crossing the hall, Cooper opened his own apartment door and was immediately met with the sound of a scream from the spare bedroom. Running, his heart racing, he opened the door and saw Amelia thrashing on the bed.

"Amelia! Amelia! Wake up!" Uncertain exactly what to do, he pulled her toward him, squeezing her tight in his arms and rocking with her, shushing in her ear. Finally the screams subsided and, almost as painful to hear, sobbing began. Great racking sobs that make it hard for him to hold on to her.

"Amelia, please stop. Please," he whispered. "Whatever it is, it's okay now. I'm here. Shhhh, I'm here."

"What - is - it?" she hiccuped between sobs. "I - heard - it."

"What is what?" Cooper strained his ears and he thought he could make out a siren in the distance, progressively growing quieter. "The siren, maybe? It's okay. It's just -" He took a deep breath. "- well, it's complicated. Can I explain it tomorrow? Will you trust me when I tell you it's okay and it can't hurt you? Nothing is going to hurt you here."

She nodded into his chest, and he rocked with her some more until her convulsive gasps quieted some. "Let me get you some water," he whispered.

He returned with a large glass and advised only small sips. Then he encouraged her to lie back down, and he smoothed his hand down her damp hair until he thought she was asleep again.

Cooper tucked the blankets back around her and shut the door behind him. Adrift, he took a shower, an act that normally soothed him and made him feel whole again. Tonight, he only felt marginally cleaner. He debated about starting work on his time machine, but he didn't want to wake Amelia. Shoulders drooping, he put on his pajamas and crawled into his own bed, wary and aching, reasoning he needed to get back on the correct time as soon as possible. But he tossed and turned without sleep, rubbing his face periodically, sighing deeply, listening to the sounds of the apartment and the city around him, sounds he had never noticed or thought about before but that seemed to be constant now.

Mostly, though, he worried that he'd lied, that he had irreparably hurt Amelia just by bringing her here.

Everything seemed better the next morning. Surprised at how late he slept, past his usual well-ingrained early wake up time, Cooper was pleased when Amelia emerged not long after. She was dressed and her hair was braided again, even if the plaits weren't as smooth and as shiny as they had been. Yes, definitely a hair brush.

"Good morning. Do you like oatmeal?" he asked.

"Yes." Then she stepped closer. "May I help?"

Cooper helped her make the oatmeal, smiling at her delight at the instantaneous flame of the stove, her curiosity as she studied the package. "Banana?" he asked.

"I've never had one. I've heard of them," she replied. After they sat down with their bowls, he showed her how to start the peel before he handed one over to her. She tore down the peel, looked at it moment, and then put it up to her mouth.

"No," he chuckled. "No one eats a banana sideways. Like this." He demonstrated with his own banana.

"How odd," Amelia said, but she smiled and followed along. Swallowing, she said, "Mmmm, this is good."

After a couple of bites, he asked, "Remember last night when I said I had a plan to get you more clothes?" Amelia nodded. "My friend - and neighbor, she lives across the hall - is coming over this morning. I thought you could tell her what you needed and she could go buy it. She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's kind and surprisingly helpful at times. And she grew up in Nebraska, so you'll have that in common. You can talk about pigs or something. Is that acceptable?"

"Oh, yes! I've never had a store bought dress before!"

Cooper took a deep breath. "As you probably guessed from my clothing, fashion is different now. They won't be what you're used to."

At that exact moment, there was a knock on the door. "That will be her."

But when he opened the door it was both Penelope and Leo. "What are you doing here?" he asked his shorter friend.

"I'm not missing this for the world," Leo said.

Grunting, Cooper opened the door. Awkwardly, he introduced Amelia to his friends. He was pleased to note that Penelope was wearing a decent dress and even held a tape measure in her hand, forcing him to silently admit he was impressed.

"Sweetie, it's so good to meet you!" Penelope said, pulling a very surprised Amelia into a bear hug.

"I forgot to mention overly-affectionate," Cooper mumbled to Amelia when the hug broke apart. He turned to Leo, "I assume you want to see the machine."

"It's not the primary thing I came to see, but sure."

Shooting him a dirty look, Cooper led his friend to the machine, opening its shell, showing him what he believed went wrong. They discussed the mechanics for a bit, until there was a natural lull in the conversation.

Then Cooper heard Amelia say, "What's a bra?"

"Come on, let's give these ladies some privacy," Leo suggested loudly. Cooper looked at him and then at Amelia on the sofa, who met his eyes and nodded her consent. Leo was probably correct, they needed privacy to discuss undergarments and such.

"Very well." Moving across the hallway and entering after Leo opened the door, Cooper was met with the sight of Herman and Rajeev sitting on the blue sofa. Shooting Leo the evil eye, Cooper said, "Odd, I thought you all had to work today."

"Dude! Leo said you brought a girl back from the past and she's trapped in your apartment!" Rajeev blurted out.

"Ah, you've been told." Another evil glance at Leo, who just shrugged. "Hasn't this all been nicely arranged?"

"You were going to have to tell them sometime," Leo said.

"First of all, she is not 'trapped' in my apartment," Cooper said, crossing him arms. "Secondly, she has a name, and it is Amelia."

"Really? We heard you've already taken the week off work to stay home with her." Herman asked, then he raised his voice, "'It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.'"

"I do not care to understand what that means." Cooper sighed over the snickers and crossed to sit in the spare chair. Deciding this had to happen at some point, he repeated the same abridged version of events he had given to Leo and Penelope the night before.

Rajeev turned to Leo as he finished his tale. "You've seen her? And the machine? It's all true?"

"Yep, just now."

Cooper put his hands on the arms of the chair. "If you're all satisfied, I'll be returning -"

"Wait!" Leo put a hand out. "All joking aside, what is your long term plan? She just can't stay in your apartment forever. And, even though you probably have months of vacation time to burn through, you have to go back to work at some point."

"How are you going to tell people you met, then, if she's not trapped?" Herman asked.

Cooper shrugged and said, "I guess we'll just tell people we were matched by one of those Internet dating sites, met at a coffee shop, and hit it off so much she moved in."

"Okay, so that covers the you barely know her part," Leo said. "But it's not the same. If you did meet on the Internet, she could just move back out. But she's a stranger here. What if - well, what if it doesn't work out?"

"Yeah, have you slept together?" Herman asked.

Feeling like he just might run out of them today, Cooper shot Herman a dirty look. "No, we haven't slept together. I do have self-control. And respect. Additionally, it just wasn't done in Amelia's time, not before marriage."

"So what is she going to do for the next couple of years while you date?" Rajeev asked.

"Well, I'm . . . " Cooper paused. It was one thing to realize on one's own, in the middle of the night, that a plan was poorly formed. It was another to admit this shortcoming to his friends. They were correct, of course; it wouldn't be fair to Amelia to maintain the status quo for very long. An initial adjustment period without too many futuristic shocks thrown at her, yes; longterm life, no. He thought of her beautiful eyes, her laughter, her inquisitiveness, her impulsiveness, the warmth of her body when he held her tight, how she made him feel - looser, more relaxed, comfortable. Yes, that was it. Comfortable. He loved her for that. He loved her. Swallowing, he whispered, "I'm going to marry her. As soon as she'll have me."

Crickets. Pins drooping.

"Whoa," Rajeev finally said.

"Cooper, are you sure? That's a huge step," Leo said softly.

"No, the huge step was helping her into my time machine. This -" he shrugged "- this is how it was destined to be."

"Are you crying?" Herman turned to Rajeev.

"It's just so beautiful," Rajeev sniffed. "Like a real life episode of Doctor Who!"

"Okay, if we accept that - Bernice is going to die when I tell her! - you still have to think about the logistics," Herman said. "How do you think you'll get a marriage license without a birth certificate. Or, well, anything, right?"

A murmur went around.

"I'm sure Rajeev could help arrange it," Cooper said.

"Hey! I'm here legally!" he protested.

"I was actually thinking of that creepy girl you used to date - you know, the one with red hair? The one that was all wrong for you and we thought was going to kill you? What was her name? Emeline? She's bound to have some contacts in the criminal underworld," Cooper said.

Everyone shivered.

"No, don't make Rajeev do that again. She probably has a bottle of lotion with his name on it," Herman said. "I think I know a guy. I mean, he more deals in things like stolen chemicals, but I think he would at least know another guy."

"Am I the only one concerned we're talking about breaking the law here?" Leo said, taking a deep intake from his inhaler. "Not to mention how crazy this whole thing is! It's insane you're taking this so seriously. Some intervention this is!"

"But it's for true love!" Rajeev said. "Remember when you thought you'd never get Penelope, and we all believed in you?"

Cooper smiled, never loving his friends more than he did in this moment. After a pause, Leo grinned, too, that silly grin he always gave when he thought about Penelope. "Okay, I'm in." He sat on the coffee table and they huddled closer. "So, a birth certificate and a social security card, right? That should be enough?"

They all nodded. "Amelia is her first name. What's her last name?" Herman asked, taking out his phone to take notes.

"It doesn't matter," Cooper said. "It will be Shelton and that's all that matters."

"Seriously? More crying?" Herman turned to Rajeev again. He shook his head and turned back. "And her birthday? I mean, she's approximately what? thirty? thirty-five? We probably can't be too picky, but it needs to seem realistic."

Clearing his throat, Cooper said, "Younger."

Herman raised his eyebrows. "Twenty-five-ish?"

Cooper shook his head.

Leo punched him in the arm. "You cradle robbing, dog, you!"

The days were delightful. Amelia came out of her shocked shell and ravenously devoured everything new. She looked adorable in her new cardigans and shorter skirts, and he never thought a lump of wool could be so alluring. Her eyes sparkled over the tiniest things Cooper had long since taken for granted, like light switches. She was constantly amazed and thrilled, and, when she was especially taken by or surprised by some new thing, she make this soft little "Oh" sound before she spoke, and Cooper wanted to hear it every day for the rest of his life.

He dug out his old American History textbook, and she set to work with a studiousness and industriousness that thrilled him. She asked intelligent questions, she listened thoughtfully when he answered, and she even asked for a pencil and paper to work on the questions at the end of each chapter.

"It's not a class, you know," Cooper said, even as he handed a notebook over to her. "You don't have to do that, it's not that important. There's no test."

"It's even more important than that," Amelia said.

She exclaimed over every new invention she read about: the automobile, the airplane, the radio. To demonstrate, he selected a classics stream for her and taught her the waltz one evening after dinner, which she mastered quite deftly. He promised to teach her all the other dances he knew and not just to enjoy the feeling of her in his arms.

Once, he found her sitting quite still, silent tears running down her face. "What's wrong?" He went quickly to sit by her side. She pushed the book over to him and he saw the photos of the gaunt prisoners in their striped garb, the stacks of skeletal bodies. "Oh."

"I just don't understand," she whispered. "Why?"

Cooper put his arm around her and whispered back, "Sometimes not knowing why is the only answer."

She worked so hard, he downloaded a novel to his iPad and watched her, amazed, as he taught her how to use it. "You need to enjoy yourself, too."

Amelia alternated between novels that she read at an alarming rate and her studies. Cooper even overnighted another, more advanced history textbook from Amazon for her. She was insatiable for knowledge. Sometimes, she had complex questions, and he set up his whiteboard and taught her about historical tangents or economics. Other days, he worked on his time machine or work projects while she studied quietly, taking breaks to look over at her bent head of hair. One day, they spent a total of six and half hours in silence and it was magical, far more magical than he could have imagined being in the same room with some one but not speaking could be.

He had decided not to turn on the television yet, letting her read and listen to the radio for a few days, so in the evenings they talked, sometimes about her studies, sometimes about the time machine, sometimes about other things she might encounter and discover in this life. Or they sat next to each other and read.

With her there, he found himself smiling and laughing more, his jaw clenching less. Once or twice he even giggled at some misstep or point of confusion for Amelia, he just couldn't help it. But she didn't shy away from him, upset or angry. She merely accepted it, squared her shoulders, and put on her determined face. She dedicated herself to this new life, and he found her strength of character just as alluring as her impulsiveness and naiveté. She was bold and motivated, and Cooper knew that if he didn't love her on the prairie, he most certainly did now. He was relaxing into her.

But the nights . . . the nights were another thing altogether. He had considered, that first night she awoke screaming and crying, staying in bed with her or inviting her to his, but, again, he decided that would be a mistake. He had made a promise to Amelia and he meant it. As he had told his friends, they would do something as old-fashioned as get married first. The idea was somehow greatly appealing to him, that level of life-long devotion, the promise of forever, the saving of yourself for your one true love.

So, instead, he would kiss her chastely on the forehead or cheek, wish her pleasant dreams, and lie awake in his bed, waiting for the invariable screams. Once or twice, he actually fell asleep first, the last thought he had being that surely the night terrors were over, but then he would be ousted from a deep sleep by the sounds of horror next door. Every night, he rocked her and soothed her, holding her tightly in her flannel nightgown, brushing his hand over her hair. Once Amelia calmed, he went back to his bed and failed to sleep yet again, doubting himself, doubting the actions he had taken, doubting this entire enterprise. As the nights wore on, he became angry at himself, that he had been so foolish and selfish when he had brought her here, where she was obviously terrified and didn't belong. He felt guilt knot up inside his chest again, those strands he thought Amelia had the power to loosen, certain in the dark that his mistake had the power to ruin both of their lives, if it hadn't already.

Finally, after six wonderful days and six sleepless nights, Cooper made a decision. They genuinely needed groceries anyway, and he thought it might be fun to introduce Amelia to modern take-out food. That was the explanation he gave to her. At the jewelry store, the clerk tried to talk him into something larger, with a diamond or at least made of platinum. Cooper was firm: pure silver, very thin. Satisfied with his selection, he pulled the little ball of silver out of his pocket. "Can you divide this and make it into two rings? One just like the one I picked -" he pointed "- and a larger but matching ring? A man's ring? I understand you will need to augment it with new silver."

Assured that they could, the clerk said, "We could use it to size up a smaller ring. But it would be cheaper just to buy two new rings. There would be labor costs associated with using this."

Cooper shook his head. "No, it has to be this silver. In equal amounts, in each ring. It's - it's very sentimental," he mumbled at the end, feeling hot admitting that to a stranger.

The clerk smiled, though, and asked, "Would you like to order it?"

Thinking of his decision, the outcome of his plan still unknown, Cooper paused. But then he nodded. "I know this is an usual request, but could you do it today? On your website it said you always have a jeweler on site. In an hour or so. I'll pay extra. Cost isn't an issue."

His eyebrows high, the clerk said, "Let me go find out from our jeweler."

Returning after getting the groceries, the rings were still slightly warm to the touch. He paid, thanked them profusely, and went to pick up the pizza. Now, regardless of Amelia's decision, they would always share this ring, resting above their heart lines, even if he never told her he had it, even if she never saw it on his hand. This silver that had traveled with them, that had helped them escape, that had bound them together in time.

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