Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

saw her on the floor. She lay in heap, her legs and arms akimbo. His heart leapt into his throat. She moaned and opened her eyes. “Thank you God,” he said as he knelt down by her side.
    “It’s all right,” he said as he stroked her cheek. “I thought I’d lost you.”
    “Gonna have to try harder than that.” Her voice was soft and rasping, and the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard.
    He gave a short laugh that made his ribs scream in protest. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.
    “Did we make it? Or is this a dream?”
    “No,” he said, brushing his fingers below the cut on her forehead. “Not a dream. Are you hurt badly?”
    She shook her head and tried to sit up.
    “You shouldn’t move,” he said, pushing back gently on her shoulders.
    She wrinkled her forehead, grimacing in pain and bringing a shaky hand to touch the cut. He gripped her hand in his, reminded of a time a few weeks, or was it decades ago when he’d done the same thing.
    “You look like hell,” she said, touching the bruise on his head.
    Her clothes were soaked and sand covered her side. Blood trickled down her cheek and stained the collar of her dress. “You’re one to talk,” he said. “You should go to hospital.”
    She shook her head. “I hate hospitals.”
    “Elizabeth—”
    “I’m too pooped to be prodded.”
    “You’ll have a scar.”
    “Give me character,” she mumbled.
    “Elizabeth.”
    She closed her eyes. “Can’t you kiss it and make it better?”
    “You’re impossible.”
    “And inclined to stay that way,” she said. “But if you don’t help me up, I’m gonna fall asleep on your floor.”
    “No sleeping. Not yet. Take it slowly,” he said as he helped her sit up. “Good. We’ll move to the sofa now, all right?”
    “I’m not an invalid,” she said, but swayed on her feet and gripped his arm. “Except for now.”
    He maneuvered them to the sofa, and she sank down into the cushions with a groan. She nodded her head toward the coffee table. “I’d feel better if that thing were locked up.”
    Following her gaze, he saw the watch resting on the floor under the table. “Agreed.”
    Painfully, he leaned over and picked it up and quickly put it inside the box. He slammed the lid closed. If he never saw the damned thing again, it would be too soon.
    “Much better,” she said and leaned her head back against the cushions.
    “Right,” he said, turning his full attention back to her. Gently, he pulled her matted hair away from the cut.
    “Is it really over?” she asked, wincing as he checked the depth of her wound.
    “It seems so,” he said. “You really should have that tended to.”
    “I know.”
    It felt surreal to be back in the quiet of his house. The stormy beach and the fight for their lives seemed like a dream fading from reality into memory. The abrupt shift back to normalcy left him oddly ill at ease. The once familiar surroundings felt more foreign than comforting.
    They sat in silence for a few moments. Elizabeth’s small fingers played over his, slowly tracing the tarnished band of gold on his ring finger. “What happens now?”
    “We take you to hospital.”
    “No, I meant, with us,” she said, her expression so endearingly unsure. “Everything’s different here.”
    He covered her hand with his. “Not everything,” he said, gently cupping her cheek. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one thing that matters. Elizabeth, if I have you, the rest of the world can hang. It doesn’t matter what place, what time. 1929, 2029, nothing can change the way I feel.”
    She smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Simon.”
    “Welcome home, love.”
    “It’s good to be home,” she said and leaned in to kiss him. He put his arms around her and gladly obliged.
    ** Thank you for reading OUT OF TIME. Please turn the page for an excerpt of the sequel WHEN THE WALLS FELL **

When the Walls Fell
    by
    Monique Martin
    E lizabeth struggled against the disconnected feeling until she felt her head definitely connect with something. Something… leafy? Managing to right herself, she stared at the offending bush before remembering to check for any witnesses. Thankfully, she was alone. Very, very alone. Damn you, Simon.
    She’d spent the last day and a half trying to soak up the reams of information Travers had given her and trying not to think about what she was leaving behind. Besides, if everything went well, it would be like she’d never left. Except for