Life at the Landgraabs’ house went from bustling to downright busy. Lenora’s prediction of needing to become an assembly line to take care of the quads was very apt. Lenora and Tyrone traded off doing diaper duty and feedings. The new parents took some much needed time away from their work and were thankful to have Landon and Crystal to help out. However, with Crystal being pregnant herself, it wouldn’t be long before Crystal’s hands would be full with her own baby.

Thankfully, there were times when all four babies slept, so Lenora and Tyrone took full advantage so they could nurture their relationship as a married couple. One day as the babies snoozed in their swings, Tyrone pulled Lenora close and kissed her. “I love you, Lenora,” he whispered.

“I love you too, Wolfman,” she said, smiling into his eyes. “I’m sorry if I’ve been too tired to say it lately.”

“You say it all the time, even if it’s not aloud. I can always feel it from you, and that’s what is important. We have a unique undying connection, and that is something nobody can take away from us.”

“We are so very blessed,” Lenora said, leaning her head contentedly on his shoulder. “We have each other and our family. Now, we have four beautiful children to love. Oh gosh! Four of them!”

“Five counting Landon,” Tyrone grinned.

A snort of amusement escaped, and that turned into an all out laugh. She buried her mouth against Tyrone’s chest to keep it muffled so she wouldn’t wake the babies. “And here, I was worried we’d have trouble having kids. Just look at us,” she said when she was able to speak.

“I know.” Tyrone stroked Lenora’s hair as they silently held each other for many long moments. It felt so good to just be held and loved. Lenora had missed that so much after Lincoln’s death, and she cherished every minute she shared with Tyrone.

Lenora felt a shifting in her empathic senses as Tyrone’s mood became serious. “What is it? What’s troubling you?” she asked.

“Well…I was just thinking. Remember when we saw that movie about the twins who were separated at birth?”

“Yeah,” Lenora said. “And?”

“Well, when we were doing a lot of reading about having multiples, the psychic twin thing came up. You know how fascinated we got with that and were reading stories about how very close some twins are and how they can always feel each other,” Tyrone said.

“Sure,” Lenora said. “It’s an amazing kind of bond.”

“I want ours to have that. Theresa and I have it together, and I hope our kids experience it. It’s a fabulous, magical thing, you know,” he said.

Lenora tightened her hold on Tyrone and snuggled closer. “Hey! Our kids will have it, I’m sure. Your parents and Theresa are very sensitive to this kind of thing as are you and I. We’ll raise them to be mindful and accepting of whatever powers and skills come to them and do the best job we can to teach them how to use them productively and wisely. Look at how happy those babies are. Can’t you feel it? I can.”

“I can, of course. I just hope it always stays that way. I always wanted to be a good hands-on dad like my dad was,” Tyrone replied.

“Ye will be an excellent father, Wolfman, and ye already are. You’re always so loving and gentle with them, and that look ye get on your face when ye hold them is priceless. They couldn’t ask for a better father than ye.” She caressed his cheek and kissed him softly. “All we can do is take each day as it comes and do the best we can to see that they grow into fine, upstanding people.”

Tyrone framed Lenora’s face and gave her a loving look that made her insides tingle with pleasure. “Beautiful and wise,” he said, running his thumbs along her cheekbones. “Do you know how exquisite you are?”

She flushed and smiled tenderly at him. “Flattery, Wolfman, I love it. Ye better have a care though. This is what lead to us having four wee ones.”

He grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose, which made her giggle. “Well, I’ll never get tired of saying it or being with you like this. You’re my love and my life, Lenora. You always will be.”

“And you’re the same to me, my eternal love,” she whispered.

“My beautiful Irish rose…my goddess,” Tyrone said, folding her into his arms. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“I love ye more,” Lenora said aloud while projecting everything she felt through their Bond.

Quiet times were quite rare due to at least one of the babies always needing something. Lenora didn’t mind though, as she loved her children dearly. She often sat for hours in the rocking chair with them. She made sure to spend equal time with all of them, as she didn’t want any of them to ever feel cheated of quality time with their parents. It was difficult, but thankfully, she knew how to brew Potent Invigorating Elixirs so she didn’t have to take as much time to sleep. As she sat rocking with Jonas one rainy afternoon, she made a mental note to write a thank-you letter to Delilah Burnbright for sending her three such elixirs. Delilah had an active son, so Lenora knew all too well that Delilah took advantage of the elixir’s effects. She felt a kinship to this witch who always took the time to help her family and friends when they needed assistance.

She chuckled as she tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder. “Och Jonas! Your Ma is going to have to do something about her hair.” It kept getting in the babies’ faces, so she figured she’d have to adjust the style a bit. She didn’t want to cut it, for she liked it long. Tyrone had a fixation with her hair and loved it long and flowing, so she wore it that way to also please the husband she adored.

Rocking babies also gave the adults time to talk. Lenora and Tyrone were always very attentive to Crystal’s growing pregnancy, and having her and Landon nearby was extra special. They caught each other up on what was happening in their day, and both she and Landon were enthralled by the babies.

Landon and Crystal were always very eager to help out with baby duty. Landon took his role as big brother very seriously. “Big brother is here and will always protect you,” Landon often said as he rocked or fed his brothers and sisters. He always laughed at the funny faces Andrea made and would remark on how strong she always squeezed his finger. Christopher always studied the world with big, bright eyes. If a baby could wear an expression of wonderment, Chris certainly did. Aurora always gave Landon sunny smiles, which melted his heart. Jonas was a very good-natured baby who also smiled and cooed a lot.

Crystal never got tired of holding the babies. “Gives me plenty of practice time,” she said, grinning sheepishly at Lenora one day. “They’re so beautiful and sweet. It’s hard to imagine ever being this little once.”

“I bet you were such a cute little fairy,” Lenora said.

Crystal laughed. “Cute, maybe. Precocious, definitely. My mother always said she wished she’d grown an extra set of wings so she could keep up with me better.”

“You don’t talk much about your family, Crystal. Is your mother still living?” Tyrone asked.

Crystal gave Landon a sidelong look, which he caught, then nodded. This made Lenora and Tyrone exchange a look. “If it’s painful to talk about, dear, it’s all right,” Lenora said kindly.

Crystal looked over at Landon again and after a moment, shrugged and heaved a sigh. “It’s not painful, nothing like that. I told Landon all about it, but I don’t tell too many people about my family history. it could affect my career and bring some unwanted attention to my mother that could put a wrench in certain…tasks she must do.”

“You can trust us, Crystal. Lenora and I don’t make a habit of gossiping,” Tyrone said.

“Oh, I know,” Crystal said quickly. “I do trust you, always have. It just never came up before and I normally don’t initiate it. Hmmm.. Well…my mother…” She trailed off as she searched for the right way to begin.

“My mother’s full name and title is Her Royal Majesty Ella Genesia Imeyne Principal, Queen of the Fae,” Crystal began.

“Oh my!” Lenora said, her eyes going as wide as dinner plates.

“I married a fairy princess, Ma,” Landon grinned.

“That’s quite a mother,” Tyrone said. “I can see how certain things need to be treated delicately. She’s obviously a very important and sought after figurehead.”

Crystal nodded. “it’s not the easiest thing having a queen for a mother and being a princess. There are lots of responsibilities, and I guess when Mother wants to retire, the throne will come to me. Even so, she’s a super lady who always made me feel like she was never too busy to spend time with me.” With Jonas resting on her shoulder, Crystal got up to fish one-handed in her purse for her wallet. “This is my mother,” she said, handing a small picture of a lovely blond fairy to Lenora.

“She’s beautiful,” Lenora said, then passed the picture to Tyrone.

“She looks like she hasn’t aged a day since she was twenty-two,” Tyrone observed.

Crystal nodded. “She won’t ever age, nor will she die. She’s like Mathilda that way. You see, the Kingdom of the Fae is always ruled by a woman, a queen. When she marries, there can be a king, but that’s not always the case. It is solely up to the queen to decide how much power her husband is to have in terms of seeing to the kingdom. Arranged marriages used to happen, and they weren’t always pleasant. There has been more freedom of choice over the last fifty centuries or so, which makes for more harmonious relations among the royal family. The heir to the throne, once she has proven herself through a series of tests and how she conducts herself, is granted immortality so she can rule for many, many centuries before retiring in favor of her heir. See, fairies are to adhere to a Code of Honor which probably has a lot of similarities to the ones witches and wolves must live by.”

Crystal continued as Lenora and Tyrone listened raptly. Landon loved hearing the story the first time and found he was loving the second telling just as much. “My mother is the daughter of Emmaline, who was the previous queen, and Cupid, otherwise known as Eros if you want to think of him that way.”

“Say what?” Tyrone asked, clearly doing a double-take.

“They always had this infatuation with each other. Grandmother didn’t want to marry him, and Cupid…Eros…being who he is, would never be happy with just one woman. But the Fae Kingdom and Olympus approved of a union to beget an heir. Times were harsh then and both kingdoms were suffering. The Council of Elders in the Fae kingdom and the gods and goddesses of Olympus thought that a union of sorts might help set things to rights, and the produce of this union had the potential to bring the two kingdoms together as allies. The Council recommended this union to the queen, my grandmother, who obviously had the final say along with Eros. The Council of Elders is there to advice the queen, and the queen always has her own personal oracle to divine and help her discern when extra help is needed. However, the queen has the final say and is the absolute ruler of the Fae Kingdom. Anyway, that is how my mother came to be.”

“And the union was successful?” Tyrone asked.

“It was better than everyone hoped. My mother inherited all the qualities desired in a fairy queen, but she got that extra oomph from her father. it’s made her a very kind, compassionate, and truly beautiful person. All her subjects adore her, and she’s always finding ways of helping people in the Fae Kingdom and in other worlds,” Crystal continued.

“We’d love to meet her,” Lenora smiled.

“You will someday. Right now, she’s involved in this project that’s been her baby for a while now. She had this huge cruise ship built, which she calls The Love Ship. She takes several guests at a time, conducts a very detailed interview with them, and helps them find their true love. Mother says it’s a very rewarding job, and being who she is, she’s damned good at it. When Mother is busy on her ship, Grandmother rules the kingdom in her absence,” Crystal explained.

Crystal then went on to explain about Emmaline’s adopted son, Silvan, who was brought to the kingdom when Silvan’s own kingdom was destroyed. Shortly after Silvan’s birth to a fairy king and queen of another universe, said universe was destroyed. The king and queen knew that time was short, so they had just enough time to send Silvan, along with a good number of tomes containing knowledge of their most powerful magic and a few magical objects, to another dimension. Baby Silvan was found by Emmaline and was loved and raised as her own son.

“He’s a powerful fairy himself and very knowledgeable, but his biggest hangup is that he…well…sort of loves the ladies too much, if you know what I mean. Grandmother says she’s been trying to pound proper gentlemanly behavior into him for centuries,” said Crystal. “It is said that whoever Silvan makes love to is ruined after that because his legendary talent for…er…passion is from the deities themselves. Not many are immune to his charms.”

“Were you?” Lenora asked curiously.

“Yeah, I was. Even though we’re not related by blood, it is forbidden to indulge in that kind of thing with a relative. He is Grandmother’s son, which makes him my uncle. We are close and keep in touch regularly, but nothing appropriate has happened, nor would it ever,” Crystal replied.

Tyrone shrugged, then snorted. “I guess all families have their troublemakers. Valerie was ours. Still is, poor kid.” Valerie had been going through a rough tine since her divorce and was running with a wild crowd at the moment. “Let’s hope both she and this Silvan grow up in time. Anyway, Crystal, how did you land up here instead of staying in your kingdom?”

“Oh, well, I’m free to come and go as I please. I wanted to branch out, I guess, and see what kind of life I could make among humans and other magical beings. I can go back for a jaunt when I want and stay as long as I need to. When I return here, no matter how long I’ve been there, only two minutes will have passed in this world. Time somehow works differently in some places. Anyway, I’m glad I did come here because look what I now have to show for it.” Crystal smiled over at Landon, who smiled back.

“You should invite your family for dinner, Crystal. We’d love to meet them, and I’m sure your mother would love to get to know her grandchild,” said Lenora.

“I will, and I’m sure they’ll come as soon as they can get away,” said Crystal.

Liam and Mathilda were also a big help to the new parents. Seeing Mathilda with her babies brought back memories of how she’d been with Landon at that age. “Still the soft touch, I see,” Lenora teased.

Mathilda grinned. “Well, Lenora, you always did that to me, so it stands to reason your babies work similar magic on me. Not that I mind. They’re such beautiful babies.”

“They are, aren’t they?” Lenora beamed with pride.

Liam held each baby with expertise and was always talking or singing to them. “Who’s the luckiest great grandda in all the world? I am,” he cooed to each one.

Seeing how gentle and loving he was with her babies brought Lenora back to her earliest memories of being with Liam. At the time of her parents’ deaths, she was too young to remember much about them, and she barely remembered being brought to Liam. Her earliest clear memory during that time was of him holding and rocking her. “It’ll be all right, my beautiful Lenora. Grandda will always take care of ye.” Then, he started to chant in that strange language Lenora hadn’t thought of in years until Mathilda did it while Lenora lay dying at thirteen.

“Great Grandda will always be here,” Liam said softly to each baby as he held each one close.

Then when Liam started to chant, Lenora recognized it immediately as the same cadence and words he’d chanted when she was brought to him. Later, she learned it was a powerful spell of protection, which she, herself, had used over the years. Hearing it now directed at her babies and remembering how intensely Liam had said it over her brought Lenora to tears. It had sounded strange to her, and at first, she’d been a little scared. However, her grandda had held her protectively and lovingly as he’d chanted, which eased Lenora’s fears.

“Och, Lenora!” Liam said softly when he finished chanting and saw her tears. “Ye remember, don’t ye, girl?”

“Very clearly, Grandda,” Lenora said. “Most everything during that time was so muzzy, but I remember that, and I remember how ye said ye’d always love me and be there for me.” Her voice was clogged with emotion, the words spoken between sobs. “Here ye are now and my babies will get to experience your love and care. It still brings me to tears as ye can plainly see.”

Liam handed the baby he was holding to Mathilda and wrapped Lenora in his strong embrace. “I’ll never leave ye again, my sweet one. Grandda will keep his promise and always be here.”

“I’m so thankful…so thankful,” Lenora said, holding onto him tightly.

“There now,” Liam crooned as he wiped Lenora’s cheeks with a hankie as he’d so often done when she was a child. “Give us a smile now, hmm?”

With a bit of an effort, she collected herself and mustered a smile. “I love ye, Grandda….so much.”

Liam kissed his granddaughter and smiled back. “I love ye too, my beautiful Lenora.”

A few months later, Lenora began to feel a tingling sensation on the back of her knee. At first, it was very faint and the episodes wouldn’t last long. Then, the episodes became more intense until the tingling never seemed to let up. There were times it was even quite uncomfortable. When she touched the area, she recognized immediately that it was the spot where a small birthmark in the shape of a crescent moon was. During her years of studying with Mathilda after Linc’s death, she acquired the knowledge that she was “The Chosen,” which meant she had some cosmic mission to undertake.

She brought it up to Mathilda one night after dinner. “I think it’s a sign of something I’m supposed to do, but I still don’t have a clear direction what that is.”

“I think I do,” Mathilda said.

Mathilda moved her hands and a shining ball of light appeared between them. “Look into it, Lenora.”

So, Lenora looked, and what she saw chilled her blood. She recognized that it was a world many, many years into the future. However, it wasn’t very pleasant at all to look at. A sobbing woman was tied to a stake, watching helplessly as what looked like hundreds of books were fed, one by one, into a pit of fire. A loud, authoritative voice proclaimed. “Crimes of this magnitude are punishable by death. Athena Landgraab, you are hereby sentenced to burning at the stake.”

All the color drained from Lenora’s face. “She looks like…she looks exactly like…”

“She looks exactly like you, sweetheart,” Mathilda said gravely. “She is your descendant. In the world you just saw, it is a crime to own even one book, let alone a library of rare first editions. Your descendent was a writer who had to publish her books with a secret society that was geared toward keeping the arts alive. As you can probably glean, in this place, art, music, books, anything of that nature is illegal. If caught, the person committing such a treasonous act is put to death. There is no such thing as a fair trial. In that world, people deemed as undesirable are disposed of. Babies are genetically engineered and thousands of clones made. If one is defective, they are disposed of. If a person is too smart, they are also dispatched. Basically, free thinking and creativity are capital offenses. The government doesn’t want anyone being too smart for fear of finding a way to overthrow ‘the system.'”

“Merciful Ariadne!” Lenora said, sitting down hard. “It’s like…Brave New World.”

“It is, only it’s worse, much, much worse,” Mathilda said. “I think we have a clear direction here. It is up to you to prevent this future from happening and to make sure that creativity and the arts remain alive.”

“How do you know all this?” Lenora asked.

“I have visited there,” Mathilda said. “Not only is this world ruled with an iron fist but it is also on a cataclysmic course to destruction. The scientists that the government have in their pocket know all this but they are unable to find a way to stop it. Only magic can do that, and…”

“Magic is also outlawed,” Lenora said.

“Magic no longer exists. You see, when the new regime took over two hundred years before, the world was slowly rid of magic. Witches and werewolves were finally ‘bred’ out’. The Fae recognized that they, too, were in danger and had no choice but to evacuate.”

“Ariadne!” Lenora said. “But…how…?”

“There is a way to keep magic alive. That will be a job for you and your descendants. But there is more. Each generation must have an heir who is gifted in at least one area of art and creativity, whether it be writing books, inventing, painting, music…you get the picture. Each heir is responsible for seeing to it that the next generation is born. During their lifetime, each must provide a piece of their work to be put into a mystical treasure chest to be passed down to the next generation. As you are The Chosen, you are the guardian to see that this is done. I will help all I can, but it is you who must undertake this mission. Once each generation finds the special purpose that is theirs, that heir will achieve immortality and will become a mentor to future generations. It all begins with you, Lenora. If you are successful in beginning this mission and performing your part in seeing to its success, both you and Tyrone will be greatly rewarded over time by all the deities.”

“So, I have to see to it that our family line continues to exist and to see that each generation passes down a work of their talent to be preserved. Plus, it is my job to see that magic never disappears from our world.” Lenora said.

“That is part of it,” Mathilda said. “The other part means that you will be doing a great deal of traveling. You see, it is not only our world that depends on this. The walls between worlds…between parallel universes…grow thinner. Events in time have caused this.”

“You mean like wars and such?” she asked.

“That’s part of it. However, there are little seemingly insignificant things that contribute. It’s not just one little thing that does it, but hundreds of little things can do it. They add up, and that makes the gateways more vulnerable. You will have to visit alternate worlds and futures to set things right.”

“But…if I run into my future self, there would be paradoxes.”

“You would go somewhere in the world elsewhere from your future self. As long as your future self doesn’t see you, things can be managed. There are worlds where you don’t even exist, worlds where your special touch and abilities are needed. You might go to a parallel world where you may meet your counterpart, so be prepared for that possibility. Also, be prepared for the possibility of visiting a very different world than you know. The order of things that happen here doesn’t always happen in other worlds, or it can happen very differently.”

“This is creepy.” Lenora felt totally overwhelmed. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ve been feeling some tremors recently. They’re very faint. Sometimes I don’t even feel them but I see things like the rocker going back and forth with nobody in it. Tyrone says he can feel the ground shaking, and he can even hear the earth shifting. Is…is that part of…?”

“Yes,” Mathilda said. “Even the climate is beginning to shift. As you can see, a lot hinges on the success of this mission.”

“But…I can’t do it alone…”

“You won’t have to. Liam and I will be here to help you. You must also discuss this with Tyrone, as he will be needed too. I wouldn’t expect you to make these travels alone,” Mathilda said.

“I could not do this without him, nor would I want to live forever if I had to lose him,” Lenora said.

“He is destined to be part of this, I assure you,” Mathilda insisted.

Later that night, Lenora asked Tyrone to hold her as she spilled it all out. She talked until she was hoarse but had to say one final thing. “When ye became involved with me, ye knew I was brought back from death to undertake some mission. I never dreamed it would be so huge. Ye took on a lot when ye wanted me. I need to know you’re in this with me, Wolfman. I need ye now more than words can say.”

“I’m in it too, Lenora. If you’re in it, so am I. I’m not leaving your side, which means you’ve got a sidekick. You’re stuck with me, kid.”

She knew he’d say that, but she couldn’t hide the sigh of relief at actually hearing the words.

“This immortality thing,” Tyrone said after a while, his arms still around his wife. “Does that mean that’s in the cards for you and me?”

“Yes,” Lenora said. “Mathilda says she needs to make more of the potion and will teach me how to do it. Unfortunately, it’ll take her a very long while because she needs to make some adjustments. Because you’re a wolf, you’ll need a stronger dose. Mine will also need some adjustments because of the curse my mother passed on to me. The potion has to stew and age, so we will have to wait. But the long and short of it is, yes, we will be immortal in due course if we are successful.”

“Then we really will have forever,” Tyrone said. “I won’t argue with that.”

Liam and Mathilda stayed to help with the babies, and Mathilda stocked Lenora and Tyrone’s fridge with delicious food. As Mathilda had made many trips to the future, she chose some things to bring back for Lenora and Tyrone to learn how to use. “I want you to get the hang of this food synthesizer. Not many people actually cook where you are going, and you’ll need to know how to survive. I’ll give you a crash course, but I don’t think it’ll take you long to get the hang of it. I’ve also got some clothes for the two of you so you’ll fit in better with the time period. Your first stop will be an alternative future where things aren’t so bad yet. I’ve got a list of things you should purchase while you are there, one of them being a musical instrument called a laser rhythm-a-con. It’s vital that you and Tyrone learn how to play this, as the future of music will depend on that. I would also recommend that you purchase your own house once you get there. What you have to do is too delicate for you to be gawked at by hotel guests. There is a certain house that if you purchase, you will own it in all the universes, for near there is an access point where all universes connect.”

Mathilda went on to explain that they’d be traveling through a time portal. One of them would need to inspect it and then talk to Emit Relevart, who would guide them until they became accustomed to traveling this way.

Lenora and Tyrone made their plans to leave the next day. “I don’t want to leave my babies,” Lenora said tearfully to Mathilda.

“The babies will be all right. Erica and I will be here to care for them. Where you are going isn’t any more dangerous than usual, and when you return, you’ll return only a few seconds after you left. It will be all right. It’s a necessary thing, Lenora. You wouldn’t want the babies growing up in a world you saw where your descendant was put to death.”

“Of course not. I just…the timing just seems so…” She shrugged, feeling a lead ball of panic sitting in her chest.

“Courage, Lenora. Sometimes timing for these things isn’t what we expect, but you must find a way to deal with it. It hinges on your success,” Mathilda said firmly.

“I’m not ready for this…”

“Yes, you are. You are more than ready,” Mathilda said. “If I didn’t think you were ready, I wouldn’t be encouraging this. You and Tyrone can do this.”

Lenora went to the nursery to hold her babies and spend time with them before the Big Leap, as she referred to it, was to happen. Tyrone was close on her heels and did the same, promising the babies they’d be back before they knew it. She and Tyrone hugged Crystal and Landon, who gave them their love and wished them luck.

The time portal was set up in the yard. It wasn’t activated yet, but Lenora swore she could feel its power nonetheless. Slowly, she made her way to it and started to fiddle with it.

“Er…open sesame! Och, I feel so stupid,” she said, giving Tyrone a bewildered look, to which Tyrone just shrugged.

Lenora ran her hands over it and then found a button.

She pressed the button, and bright white light immediately swelled up before her. She ran her hands over the vortex and leaned in to yell into the light. “Hello! Is anyone there?”

Lenora screamed and fell backward as a man was ejected from the gateway. She stared, openmouthed, as the man smiled at her.

“Hello, Lenora and Tyrone. I have been waiting a long time to finally meet you. Mathilda has told me so much about you both, and of course, I am very familiar with your father’s music, Tyrone. I have followed his career from the beginning,” said Emit, giving the couple a warm smile.

“I’m not surprised,” Tyrone chuckled. “My dad gets around.”

“As will the two of you,” Emit said. “The two of you will be very famous together musically, but ah, I must not reveal anymore. Too much knowledge of the future can be disastrous. I will reveal more when you are ready, but first, you must experience some things for yourselves.”

“I won’t lie. You know we’re very new to this, and I can’t quite get my head wrapped around all this just yet. I never dreamed I’d become a time traveler, let alone be visiting alternative universes. I’m usually pretty quick on the uptake, but this…” Lenora said, trailing off.

Emit just smiled easily. “I understand. Once you arrive at your destination, it will become more real. For this trip, I just want you to experience things. Set up your living space and just experience this new place you’ll be visiting. The work begins now, but for now, the work entails you just observing and learning. I will be ready to answer any questions you may have and assist you any way I can.”

“We’ll need all the help we can get,” Tyrone said.

“Well then, here is my first order of assistance,” Emit said, handing Lenora a thick book. “This is the Almanac of Time. In it is vital information that you’ll need to know about time travel and what to expect in the future. Think of it as your futuristic travel guide. Most of what you’ll need to know to get used to things is in here.”

“Thank you,” Lenora said, taking the book with great reverence. She knew this was one book she would be treating with the utmost of care.

“You are most welcome. Now, it is time to be off. All you need to do is jump into the light,” Emit said.

Lenora bit her lip and grabbed Tyrone’s hand. “Well, Wolfman, the moment of truth is upon us.”

“Let’s do this,” Tyrone said.

And so, they did it. They held tightly to each other as they leapt into the gateway. They floated in a vortex of colored lights, both of them seeing colors that they were sure was never seen by human eyes until now. Snatches of conversation could be heard as the light carried them along. At last, they were deposited on the grounds of a huge building the likes of which they had never seen before. As Tyrone looked around, the grass was lusciously green.

Lenora felt a sense of vertigo at first. She held tightly to Tyrone, closing her eyes to try to keep the nausea at bay. She gulped audibly. “I don’t think we’re in Aurora Skies anymore, Wolfman.”

“You can say that again,” Tyrone said, then whistled. “Wowza! Will you look at this place? I feel like we’ve stepped onto the set of ‘the Jetsons.'”

Lenora slowly opened her eyes and took a cautious look around. “You’re right. Wow!”

The first thing they did was make arrangements for their house. It took them a few days to get settled, but when they did, they were glad to have their own place. It was big and beautiful, and they had a lot of land on their property.

Since Mathilda was adamant that they begin learning the laser instrument thingie, Lenora and Tyrone purchased one for each of them. Lenora activated the instrument and then read the beginner’s manual, following the instructions. “This is going to take coordination,” she said aloud.

“Good thing you know how to dance, sweetheart,” Tyrone grinned. “Looks like a lot of stepping and plucking.”

“Imagine the amount of calories you can burn if you get really good at this,” Lenora said. “Well, let’s see what we’re made of.” She plucked experimentally at the strings and stepped on each circle to hear what sound each made. Surprisingly, it didn’t take her long before she was playing simple tunes.

Tyrone had equal success learning the strange instrument. One day after a practice session, he burst out laughing. “Can you imagine my dad playing this thing?”

Lenora chortled. “No, actually. Amadeus is very much at home with his piano. But then, you never know. It is the wave of the future, after all.”

Lenora practiced every chance she got and found that she was quite taken with the laser rhythm-a-con. She was learning it surprisingly quickly and had even made up some intricate dance moves as she moved from circle to circle. “I think I’m highly addicted to this thing, Wolfman,” she said.

“You look like you’re having the time of your life,” Tyrone said, grinning at her. She really was getting good at it, and he was immensely proud of her for picking it up so fast.

“I am. Oh, I picked up some sheet music for us. I figured if we’re going ot learn this crazy instrument, why not learn as many songs as we can?”

“Good thinking,” Tyrone said.

After they had dinner, Lenora sat at the piano and played a song she’d written for Tyrone. It was called “Loving You” and was about how they would spend eternity loving each other. Tyrone loved it and showed her just how much by taking her to the Dream Pod and making divine love to her. They fell asleep in each other’s arms after programming the Dream Pod for giving them dreams about their family.

Author’s Note: I want to thank Shafer249 for the three Potent Invigorating Elixirs she sent to Lenora. I’m assuming they were from Deliliah, so I wrote that into the story. Her story is a wonderful read. You can find it here.