It was getting close to sunset. Anna was reluctant to let Murdoch leave the bed. John probably wouldn't come home for a few more hours. Regardless of her attempts to lure him back to bed, Murdoch quickly dressed himself. He looked impeccable in his black apparel but his absence from the bed left her cold. Anna retrieved her discarded bathrobe from the floor and bundled in it.
She stood beside him at the bedroom window. They watched the sun go down together. Once darkness started to settle, Murdoch gathered his hat and gloves. "I must go," he told her. "The sun's down and your husband will return soon, yes?"
"I guess so."
Murdoch kissed her again. It was gentle and tender, far different from the avid kisses during their frolic in bed. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll come before your shift ends."
Anna rested her forehead on his chest. "Alright."
He tilted her chin up. "I love you."
Anna hugged him tightly. "I love you too."
She let him out the backdoor which opened onto an alley. He strode away, head held high. Anna had expected him to slink away on the watch for curious neighbours, but his walk was proud and measured. She went into the kitchen and put a kettle on for tea.
It was late when John arrived home. He had stopped and bought a book of poetry, chocolates and some incense that Anna liked. He shrugged apologetically, saying he wasn't sure what to get her in case she really was sick, but Anna assured him she liked the gifts anyway.
They laid in bed together, Anna reading the new book and John scribbling away in a journal. When she marked her page and settled into the blankets, she could still catch Murdoch's scent trapped in the fabric. She wondered vaguely if John would notice. She shivered and got a strange feeling in her stomach, thinking of both men. It felt peculiar to think of Murdoch Hand by his first name with her husband, John Murdoch, right beside her. It also gave her a weird feeling to think that she had had sex with both men in the same bed.
It wasn't guilt that she felt. It was more like vertigo. A strange paradox. Two very different men with the same names and memories. Anna retreated into her head, considering why she had fallen for Murdoch over John.
Sometimes John acted like she was a completely different person. She noticed a few times that he struggled with her name, as if he wanted to call her something else. Although, if Murdoch was right (which he most certainly was, considering what had happened), her name used to be Emma.
Another thing was that John was not always truthful. He had never told her specifically what his work was. She only knew that it was government work (What government? We live in a single city, she thought cynically.) He had never told her about his childhood, or his past. She had never met his family.
And then there was his obsession with the ocean.
In all honesty, John had become boring.
Murdoch was interesting. He was mysterious, intelligent, witty and charming. He was handsome and frankly, much better than John in bed. Murdoch knew how to make her happy. John could only keep her content.
Maybe Murdoch can take us away from here, she thought excitedly, with his powers. Maybe he and I could escape to Earth, where ever that is. We could go off on an adventure together.