In His Arms

A/N: I wasn't quite sure which area to put this because it was both Sci-Fi and Romance. But it also has its parts which resemble Other Fiction because it doesn't dwell on the Sci-Fi factor. Well anyways, this was just a random idea which came to mind, and it isn't the best I have ever written. It is probably actually one of my worst, but anyways, I would love you have your input on this idea.

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In His Arms

"My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny."

~Elaine Maxwell

Benjamin looked swiftly at her one more time, eyeing her softly. He came closer towards her, smiling his childish grin, and grabbed her hand which was lying on the table.

“It is hard to imagine we have made it to this final point,” he spoke lightly.

They had been progressing this far for so very long, always not knowing if they indeed had taken a wrong turn, but it seemed they had been right along. Through trial and error they had found out the way to finally complete the invention, conducting tests and taking down observations. This seemed to be the very last test until they finished it all.

He gently fingered the diamond ring on her finger and couldn’t help feel a sudden burst of pride, knowing that she was his and his only.

But his joy and exhilaration did not seem to be mirrored on Adelaide’s face. She had gone ghostly pale, and her mouth was brought into a hard grimace, the sad complexion not seemingly matching her flaming red hair and freckles along her cheeks. Her eyebrows were furrowed in frustration.

“But why is it you who has to go?” She asked, sounding almost tired.

“Because who else is there to go?” Benjamin still smiled, using his other hand to caress her cheek, noticing the dark shadows under her eyes. He decided to ignore them; his reasoning was that she was just over tired. His mind soon flitted to something else. “Is the coffee ready yet?”

“Not yet, it will be done soon.” She alleged reluctantly. “But Ben, will you promise me something?”

“I will promise anything,” said Benjamin, his goofy grin slowly fading into only a small smirk.

Adelaide looked at him warily; a faint smile graced her lips at his confidence. “You promise to come back, no matter what it is like there?”

“Why wouldn’t I come back? You are here after all, and you know I could never live without you.” Ben spoke without a thought, the words just coming out naturally. Adelaide still didn’t seem as convinced.

“But I will be there too, won’t I?”

The timer went off for the coffee, and she got to her feet forlornly, staggering into the kitchen as if it was the sentence of death. It could actually have been exactly that for him, but Benjamin didn’t dwell on the thought. He was filled with ecstasy just knowing that his journey beyond all measures was about to occur in a mere matter of a couple of minutes. He hurriedly grabbed the tape recorder, camcorder, and camera and placed them in his rucksack which he lazily slung over his one shoulder. Adelaide emerged with two coffees, set one down before him, and sat down just to sip her own.

“Why don’t we have just one more coffee...?”

“Adelaide, I am going now. I will be back.”

“But how long will it take, if never, for you to actually come back?” Her voice showed her panic and emotion at this point in time. She did not wish for him to leave and that was obvious. He was going to leave, despite what anyone would have to say, and his departure was going to be soon. Adelaide meant a lot to him, but this invention seemed to mean more at this point in time.

“That is what I am going to find out Adelaide dearest. I am about to traverse through the gates of time, and we do not know how long that will actually take.” He stooped down, took a sip of his coffee, and turned back towards her to peck her lightly on the lips. “I will record everything; you won’t miss a second of it.”

And with that he turned on his heel and stepped through the doorway of his invention, disappearing as if off of the face of the planet.

The silence was unbearable for Adelaide. All she could hear was the slight ticking of the clock and the distant sound of a television she had most likely forgotten to turn off. She felt utterly alone in this apartment. All she could do was take comfort in Benjamin’s words, and trust that he would indeed be back from his entrails into the future.

She glanced over towards the invention to which was attached to the door that Benjamin had stepped into. Its flashing lights and faint buzzing seemed to be unnerving. She did not trust this machine, this portal. She did not have confidence in the machine which threatened to take away her Benjamin forever.

A flash came from the doorway and Benjamin emerged once more. She had expected him to age, that maybe a sandy brown beard would be on his chin, but he was the same as ever, the rucksack slung lazily over his shoulder, his pale blonde hair dishevelled and the same irresistible grin plastered across his face.

Adelaide got to her feet from the chair, still holding her mug of coffee in her hand, looking a little meek. He was here, he had indeed returned. He placed the rucksack onto the table and ambled over to her to pull her into a soft kiss again. When they pulled away, she looked up into his blue eyes unabashed.

“So what was it like?”

“I don’t seem to remember.” He said with perfect clarity, the smile still there. He didn’t seem disappointed at all.

“What about the tapes, the camcorder, or the camera?”

“They will have nothing on them.”

Adelaide looked at him in complete confusion. Usually Benjamin would have been devastated at a turnout like this, and she did not understand the change in him. There was only one question she could muster.

“W-What happened?” her voice quavered.

“I was given the choice to forget, and I forgot.”

“But, why did you decide to forget?” This was a side of Benjamin she had never seen before, someone who would give up the answers that was bearing into the future, someone who would give up something so valuable and historical.

“I don’t remember,” was all he said. Benjamin grabbed his coffee from the table, hugging it close and sipped it. “All I know is that this is what I was waiting for.”

Adelaide looked up at him one more time, eyebrows furrowed once more and her lips curled into a hard grimace.

“You wanted to know didn’t you?” He chuckled lightly and set his coffee cup down.

“I was curious…”

“And I thought you didn’t want me to go.”

“But, that was before I knew what it would turn out to be like. You came back, and I am happy, but moderately confused.” Adelaide turned around and walked into the kitchen once more, ambling towards the sink to do the dishes which had piled up over the last couple days because of negligence. She grabbed the cloth but froze when she felt his arms rap around her.

“Why do we need to know the future, when it is right before us anyways?”

She could feel his warmth breath on her neck and smiled weakly. She felt safe in his arms, and it was there that she never wanted to leave.

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~Incognito