Disclaimer: Characters belong to Showcase and Prodigy Pictures except for the ones I've created.

Notes: As always, thank you for reading and the reviews.

The story is based on the movie, Somewhere in Time, which was based on the book, Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson.

Chapter 11

The sheets had grown cold and their heartbeats had slowed. Through the half-drawn drapes, a shaft of moonlight shone on the tangled bodies on the bed.

Bo laid in Lauren's arms, burrowed in the hollow space between her neck and shoulder. Lauren heard Bo sighed in contentment. She pressed a kiss on the crown of Bo's head and pulled her closer. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Bo pushed herself up on her elbow to look at her new lover, tracing a line over the curve of her cheek. "You didn't. Far from it, actually."

Bo batted her eyes away rather bashfully. Sensing her hesitation, Lauren kissed the hand caressing her face as a silent encouragement.

Bo returned her gaze to Lauren, quietly studying her. Her words were merely a whisper when she spoke, "I've never been with anyone before."

Lauren wasn't entirely surprised by the revelation. She had guessed this much. "I sort of knew based on the things you told me."

Bo gently kissed her lips and murmured teasingly, "You were paying attention then."

Lauren touched her lover's mouth, looking deep into her and swore her heart would cease to beat from the beauty she found there. "You had my full attention from the moment I saw you."

Bo stared at her, eyes sparkling like stars in the night.

Bo's voice, it quivered as she said, "I wish I could properly articulate what you have given me, how you made me feel, how you've changed my life. I have never known this feeling, I have lived without it my entire life. You have reached into the deepest and most secret reaches of my heart, and gave me hope, making me believe that all things are possible. There is so much to say...I cannot find the words, except for these - I love you."

Lauren swallowed, her vision blurred by sudden tears. One day, when she's old and grey, Lauren knew she would look back on this night and see how her life had begun anew. She would remember this one moment in time when Bo put her gentle and kind heart in her hands and trusted her to keep it safe.

Lauren met Bo's declaration with a deep, searing kiss. She wished she would never have to let go.

Bo whimpered when they parted, her breaths shallow. She was unable to deny her longing and desire any longer. "I want to make love to you...show me how to touch you."

A maddening, ascending rush of emotions tossed and tumbled inside Lauren. Barely breathing, she took Bo's hand and guided her to satisfy her overwhelming need.


Bo watched her lover arch her back, her eyes shut tightly and mouth open in a silent scream. She held on to the body in her arms, pulling her impossibly close. She didn't want to let go even as Lauren's climax subsided, afraid this moment would never come again.

"Oh God," Lauren gasped, her body relaxing. She lifted her head to look at Bo. "Come here."

Bo reluctantly pulled her fingers out and tucked herself into Lauren's arms. "Are you alright?"

"I think you might have killed me." Lauren chuckled as she lazily stroked Bo's hair.

"No dying yet, I've planned to have many more nights like this." Bo was thrilled she was able to please Lauren this much, considering how inexperience she was.

"Many more?" Lauren arched a brow.

"Many, many more." Bo was unsure if it was too soon to bring up their future. Julia's words rang loudly in her head, there was so much that could go wrong, so many things to consider.

She wanted to be brave for Lauren, for them, but she recalled the looks from Emma and Samuel. She shut her eyes to will away these troubling thoughts, determined not to ruin the night.

Bo heard Lauren's gentle voice ask, "What is it?"

She opened her eyes to see Lauren looking at her so tenderly that her doubts were silenced. She would be content with what they had now, right here in this room where nothing could touch them, and the future was full of possibilities.

Bo recalled every minute of the whirlwind two days, and found herself needing to know everything about Lauren.

She murmured into Lauren's neck, "Tell me something about you."

"What would you like to know?" Lauren exhaled in contentment.

"There are so many things I want to know about you, starting with where you were born and all the way to the day we met. But first, I'm curious about something. If I recall correctly, you said you have traveled far and long to get here. What did you mean by that?"

Bo caught the slight crinkle of Lauren's brows, and sensed her hesitation. "What's wrong?"

Lauren sighed and pulled her arm out from under Bo. She rolled on her side to look directly at Bo.

"Bo, there's something I want to tell you, but I'm not sure how to start. I'm afraid you might think I'm crazy and kick me out of your room," Lauren said seriously.

Bo mimicked Lauren's position. "Crazier than my clairvoyance encounter?"

"Yes, and I want you to keep that encounter in mind when I tell you how I got here, and know that stranger things can happen."

Bo was beyond curious now. "I will, please tell me."

Lauren bit her bottom lip and inhaled sharply as if she was about unload the world's biggest secret on Bo.

"Okay, here goes. It all started when I saw a photograph of you taken in this hotel. It was in the Hall of History."

"I have not taken a photo here and I don't recall seeing a Hall of History."

Lauren gave her a small smile. "Not yet, but you will take a photo here and there will be a hall in the future."

Baffled, Bo said, "I don't understand."

Lauren sat up, letting the blanket fall to her waist. "Maybe I should start from the very beginning. You came to see me at a party my friends threw for me when my first novel was published. You gave me a hairpin and asked me to come back to you."

"Now I'm even more confused. I think I would remember such an incident."

"You can't because it hasn't happened yet."

Getting more confused by the second, Bo sat up as well. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lauren glanced upwards at the ceiling, taking in another deep breath before saying, "That party happened in September 2000."

Bo blinked blankly.

"On October 3, 2005, I checked into The Majestic Hotel and that evening, I saw your photograph. Two days later, I made the decision to come here. Okay, here's thing, I came from the future...I time traveled back to 1938 just to meet you."

Lauren went on to tell Bo everything, starting from the first time she saw Bo to when she found herself in one of the hotel rooms in the present. Well, Bo's present at least, according to Lauren.

When Lauren finished, Bo could only stare at her as she struggled to wrap her head around the tale.

"Bo, say something. Please," Lauren said nervously.

"Have you been reading H.G Wells?" Bo tried to joke.

"No, I know this is a lot to take in and so far-fetched you might think I'm crazy, but every word I said is true," Lauren pleaded.

Bo stayed silent as she tried to gather her thoughts. There was no such thing as time travel, she told herself.

Maybe Lauren was hiding something about her past. This tall tale was just her way to avoid telling her the truth. She was a writer and writers were known to have an active and vivid imagination.

"I don't know what you expect me to say. You're talking about time travel here."

She saw Lauren's shoulders sagged. She placed a hand on Lauren's neck, squeezing lightly. "I really want to believe you but it's such a...it reads like something out of a-a book."

Lauren did say she was eccentric and she was certainly playful, maybe this was just a joke. Lauren was playing with her, that was the only explanation, Bo was certain of it.

Wanting it to be true, Bo asked as casually as she could, "You're pulling my leg? Is that it?"

Lauren chewed the inside of her mouth, directing her vision to her folded hands on her lap. Even though Lauren was smiling, Bo thought she detected a note of defeat when she finally said, "You got me! Julia seems to think you're gullible, guess this proved her wrong. "

Lauren laughed, a note that sounded oddly hollow to Bo. "And hey, it sounds like a good plot for my new book."

If Bo was wiser, she would have been alarmed at the possible secrets Lauren was keeping from her, but she didn't want to be wiser, her heart wouldn't allow it. Whatever Lauren was hiding, Bo trust Lauren to tell her when the time was right.

Lauren scooted closer to Bo, draping her arms around her shoulders. "That was a joke, but I pray that you believe my love for you is real, and that I did come here to meet you. Even before we met, I knew I would fall in love with you."

She kissed Lauren, conveying her trust and love. "I do believe you."

"Does this mean you won't be kicking me out of the room tonight?" Lauren cracked a smile.

Bo rested her forehead against Lauren's. "Not a chance."


Julia sat on the armchair facing the fireplace, mulling over her exchange with Bo. Her anger rising as the seconds ticked on.

She had faced many obstacles and challenges in her 52 years.

Born into poverty, she watched her father toil away fruitlessly on the small farm their family owned. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was just 13, leaving her with a devastated father who soon sought solace in the bottle.

One evening, as she sat gazing out the window at the green and yellow rows of corn, she swore she would get out of that God-forsaken town and make a name for herself.

The day her father died, she packed what little belongings she had and walked away from the only home she had ever known and never looked back.

Like many dreamers before her and many after, she headed to the great lights of New York city, aspiring to become the next Maude Adams.

Unfortunately, she would soon realise sheer ambition would not be enough for her to make it big. So, she settled for marrying rich, and that she succeeded marvellously.

The moment she laid eyes on Edward Morland in his expensive tailored-made suit, escorting a pretty young thing home, she knew she had to make him her husband. He easily fell for her worldly charms and practiced sophistication.

Their marriage was pleasant enough, even though she had to admit she never really loved him as she should. And the great lights of Broadway beckoned still. Every opening night, she would be there in the box seat with her bored husband.

She marvelled at the talent some possessed, and often found herself longing to be standing there on the stage under the bright glare of the spotlight.

It wasn't long before she decided that even if she couldn't be the star, she would be immersed in that world. After some persuasion, she managed to convince her husband to fund her new talent agency.

Being a member of high society meant good contacts were easy to come by but it was not an easy journey. Being a woman, most people didn't take her seriously. She had to fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted, even fighting dirty.

She persisted and people soon learned she was a force to be reckoned with. Business flourished, but never once was she in awe of the talents under her management, most were decent enough actors, none destined for stardom.

That was until she saw the woman who was born to be a star.

She remembered that evening well; her husband had just passed away a week prior and to her surprise, she found herself missing him.

The large house was unbearably quiet and lonely, so she asked her chauffeur to drive her around town. For reasons unknown to her, or maybe it was fate that led her to that dingy old theatre at West 52nd Street.

She saw a poster advertising a play called, 'To Err Is Human' stapled to the wall and on a whim, decided to take a look, thinking an hour or two of watching a play would take her mind off her late husband.

The play was atrocious to say the least, but the young woman who played the lead took her breath away. Sitting on a creaky seat in the theatre, she saw the mesmerising talent that was Bo Dennis.

Bo was everything she had wanted to be, and she possessed an untouched greatness she had never seen before. In that instant, she knew she had to make Bo hers to groom and mold.

The only hitch was that Bo already had an agent, if one could call Peter Fairman that.

One look at the man and she knew his intentions were short of honourable but Bo always wanted to see the best in people. Nonetheless, Fairman was soon taken care of, thanks largely to his lack of self control. It wasn't one of her proudest moments, but it was necessary and she had gotten away with it.

Now, if the need arises, she wouldn't hesitate to do the same to Lauren Lewis, who threatened to take away all that they had worked for and destroyed their dreams.

Yes, it was their dreams, Bo and hers. Bo may say otherwise, but Julia was certain she wanted the same thing. It was love that blinded Bo and it was up to Julia to take the blinders off.

Of course, Julia would have to take care not to take too drastic a measure with Lauren. Unlike Fairman whom Bo loathed after she saw him for who he was, Lauren was someone Bo believed she loved.

Bo would ask questions, may even threaten her with harm. Julia was no fool, she was well aware of who Bo's parents were. Her own riches and power were nothing compared to the Dennis, and their love for her daughter were fierce.

Now that Bo and her parents had reconciled their differences, Julia could see Bo seeking their help to deal with her. All it would take was one word from Bo and they would make sure hell would rain down on her.

Julia had to be careful. Perhaps, what was needed to ensure Lauren would stay away was a different kind of persuasion.

A knock on the door jarred Julia from her thoughts. She opened the door, already knowing who it was.

"Mrs. Morland," the man greeted.

"Stevens, please come in."

Stevens strode to the centre of the living room. Julia observed him carefully, she had always enjoyed watching him move.

Stevens, her longtime faithful right hand man, had a tall, burly frame yet his steps were quiet, graceful even. His posture was always erect, his chest puffed out proudly much like a military man. He was soft spoken and had refined manners that hid a ruthlessness that would only be unleashed at her bidding.

"What is it that you need me to do?" Stevens asked.

"I may need you to take care of a pesky problem tomorrow evening. I hope it won't come to that, but I want you to be prepared."

"Of course. May I ask what this problem is?"

"Her name is Lauren Lewis."

His face clouded. "A woman?"

"Yes." She watched him closely, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Mrs. Morland, you know where I draw the line," Stevens said.

Julia wanted to scoff at the ridiculousness of a man who had done plenty of unsavoury things but refused to hurt a woman.

"Always a gentleman, I see." Julia kept her expression passive. "Stevens, I just need you to do some heavy lifting so to speak. I'll take care of the rest. Do not worry, it won't go as far as it did with Fairman."

A brief moment of silence followed before Stevens agreed, "Very well then."

Julia smiled. "Good. Now, there's an empty trunk backstage at the theatre, where they kept the costumes. Take it and put it in the storage room by the back entrance. I will give you further instructions tomorrow. Like I've said, I hope it won't have to come to this."

"I shall take care of the matter now. Have a good night, Mrs. Morland."

Once Stevens was gone, Julia took out the stationery from the work desk and sat down to pen a goodbye letter.

She took her time to mentally write the letter in her head. Lauren was a writer, so Julia must select her words carefully in order to fool Bo.

Satisfied with what she had in mind, she began to write, "Dear Bo..."


Lauren banged her head lightly against the cold bathroom tiles, muttering, "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Oh, I came from the year 2005 to meet you. Of course, she thinks you're crazy."

Such a perfect night and she had almost ruined it by telling Bo the truth. She had hoped Bo would believe her, but wasn't surprised that she didn't. Really, who would?

No lies, that's what she wanted for their relationship.

Maybe in time, she could convince Bo. She did have a very convincing tool in her hands - knowledge of major events.

It was 1938, and massive changes loomed ahead.

It wouldn't be long before the Nazis invaded Poland, setting off a devastating war. It began to trouble her, the knowledge she had could well change the course of history. But again, who would believe her? Not even the woman who loved her did, what's more to say strangers.

It still bothered her, knowing millions of lives could be saved. She shook off the thought, it was far too big for her. She would have to worry about it later.

She washed her hands and headed back to join Bo.

She found Bo waiting for her in bed, leaning against the headboard, her lovely face bathed in the silvery light of the moon. She marvelled at her luck; she must have done something right in her life to deserve someone like Bo.

Bo smiled when she saw her. "There you are, I was about to check on you. You've been in there for a long time. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is perfect," Lauren said, more perfect than she could have ever imagined.

Bo patted the wrinkled bedsheet. "Come here then, it's getting lonely without you."

She moved slowly, quietly, unwilling to break the stillness. Midway, she stopped and looked over at her clothes folded neatly on the chair and remembered the gift.

"What are you doing?" Bo asked when Lauren detoured to the chair.

Lauren dug into the pocket of her pants, and took out the still damp box. She cursed herself for not putting it in the car before she wandered off to explore the town.

She could wait and go back to the store to have it re-wrapped, but she could not imagine a more perfect time to give Bo the hairpin.

"I have something for you," Lauren said, crawling back into bed. She placed the box in front of Bo. "Here."

Bo's smile grew wider. "I love presents!"

"Open it. I'm sorry it's damp. I had it with me when it started raining earlier. I brought it from Samuel's store."

Bo took the box gingerly. Her fingers pulled at the ribbons and she unwrapped the gift carefully so not to tear the pretty wrappings. "I wouldn't care if it's soaked thoroughly, I would still love it."

She gasped when she opened the lid. She took out the hairpin gently, staring at it in awe as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"It's beautiful, Lauren," Bo breathed. "White roses, they're my favourite. How is it possible that it feels like you already know me so well?"

Lauren wanted to say it's because she had done her research on Bo. But she knew that wasn't entirely true. It was Bo's trusting heart that allowed Lauren to learn so much about her in a short time.

"Because I do," Lauren said with conviction.

Bo pulled her into a deep kiss, her arms holding Lauren so tight that Lauren thought their skins would fuse together.

"Thank you. This is the most beautiful present I have ever received. I'm going to wear it tomorrow for the interviews and the play, and everyday from then onwards."

Pain stabbed at Lauren's heart, remembering that Bo had indeed worn the hairpin every day until she returned it to her.

Lauren shooed the thought away. This was not the time to worry about something that could be altered. She had been fine the entire day, hadn't she? Surely that meant she would be able to stay here, and grow old with Bo.

Perhaps misinterpreting Lauren's reaction, Bo asked, "Are you feeling alright? You look tired, my love."

"I am tired." It wasn't a lie. The euphoria of the day had faded, leaving Lauren in contented bliss and with it, came exhaustion. The fact that she barely slept a wink last night didn't help.

Bo placed the hairpin on the night stand and gently pushed Lauren down on the bed. "It's time for you to sleep."

Lauren didn't argue as she snuggled into Bo. No longer was she afraid of slipping away. In the circle of Bo's arms, she found peace, and she would sleep, knowing Bo would be her anchor to this world.


October, 2005

Tamsin waited in her car, taking the time to read more of Lauren's notes on Bo. Outside, the morning mist clung to the car, the sky lighting, as the sun began its ascent.

She left the hotel early, telling Dyson she needed to take a ride to clear her head. The pressure was mounting, both Dyson and Emma had advised her to call the police.

She should, it had already been more than 24 hours since Lauren had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth. She was hesitant, part of her was afraid of how the police would view the matter once they learned of the circumstances that led to Lauren's disappearance.

Suicide, they would say, just as Lauren had planned.

The press would have a field day, "Best selling author killed herself after losing her mind". Tamsin couldn't let that happen, not when she herself didn't believe it.

And there was the other part of her that wanted to believe Lauren. What she needed was time, just a day to piece the puzzle together.

The porch light turned off and out stepped a young woman in a pair of running shorts and jacket. She must be Eve, Tamsin thought as she got out of the car.

The woman smiled when she saw her approaching. "Hello."

"Hi, you must be Eve. My name is Tamsin and I'm a good friend of Lauren Lewis. I understand she came to see you a few days ago."

"Ah, Lauren. Yes, she did. Is she still at The Majestic?"

Tamsin was relieved that Lauren had indeed been here and it was not something she had imagined.

"Um, yes, but she's not there at the moment. She may be gone for a few more days." Tamsin decided this was the most honest reply that she could give. Can we speak for a moment?"

Eve nodded. "Sure. You came at the right time, there are things I need to pass to Lauren. I was going to give her a call later. Would you like to come in?"

Tamsin followed Eve in.

"Please take a seat. I'll go get the things." Eve said before disappearing into one of the rooms.

Several opened boxes sat on the carpet and on the coffee table were two worn photo albums.

Curious, Tamsin flipped open one of the photo albums, finding browned photographs of Bo in her younger years. Bo was indeed beautiful, she could see why Lauren was so enchanted by her.

"Sorry about the mess," Eve said when she emerged from the room. In her hands were a tape and an envelope.

"You call this a mess? You should see my place."

Even chuckled and seated herself next to Tamsin. She tapped on a photo of Bo on stage, a bouquet of flowers in her arms, flanked by her co-stars.

"Panama Hattie, 1940. My mother's triumphant return to the stage after a long hiatus," Eve said.

"She's beautiful."

"She was, wasn't she? I got a little nostalgic after Lauren's visit. So I ransacked the basement and took out some of her stuff. I forgot all the things my mother had, so many memories," Eve paused before asking, "So where is Lauren?"

"She had something to take care of somewhere else."

"I see." Eve glanced briefly at the envelope and continued, "I was actually hoping to talk to her as soon as possible."

"What about?"

Eve handed Tamsin the envelope. "This. It came yesterday."

Written on the sealed envelope, in neat handwriting was Lauren's name. "I don't understand."

"That makes the two of us." Eve drew in a breath. "Since you're here, I assume Lauren told you about my mother seeking her out about five years ago?"

"Yes, I was there." Tamsin wished now she had paid closer attention to the incident that night.

"I was already scratching my head about the whole thing and now comes this letter."

Tamsin was more than curious now. She held up the envelope. "You have to explain."

"Inside is a letter written by my mother. About three months before her death, she passed this letter to our family lawyer and instructed her to hold it until October 18, 2005. She asked for the letter to be sent to me here by October 19 and for me to pass it to Lauren. She was very specific about the date, the letter must reach Lauren by the evening of October 22."

Thoughts swirled in Tamsin's head. "Did-did your mother say why?"

Eve shook her head. "I wish she did. I'm still trying to understand the whole thing. They had never met until five years ago, and my mother gave Lauren her hairpin. She told me someone very special gave it to her when she was performing at The Majestic back in the 1930s. It was her most treasured possession. And now comes the letter. How could she possibly know Lauren was going to be here, and why October 22? I...I just don't get it."

"The hairpin, is this the one?" Tamsin pointed at a photo of Bo sitting in what looked like a dressing room, the hairpin clearly visible under the light.

"Yes, that's the one. She wore it every day."

Tamsin stared at the envelope as questions came at warp speed. Her speech was hindered by the lump in her throat.

What if it was all real? What if Lauren really did travel back to 1938 to meet Bo? Were they together now?

Tamsin stared so hard at Lauren's name on the envelope that her vision began to blur.

Was it really love? Had Bo really waited all these years just to see Lauren one last time?

She ran her fingers lightly over the envelope, tempted to rip it open and get her answers but she couldn't. This was too personal, she couldn't do that to Lauren.

How could it be possible that everything seemed to make sense and not at all, at the same time? Maybe, she was the one losing her mind.

Her breath hitched as something dawned on her. Assuming this was all true, it meant Lauren would return and it would be very soon.

Tomorrow was October 22.