Another Place in Time
Copyright© 2025 by Sage Mullins
Chapter 14
Science Fiction Story: Chapter 14 - A story involving travel through time to a post-apocalyptic future. Abby, a young woman of 25 who is stuck in a rut in her personal and professional life, gets sent from the present to a future world where the Earth's population has been decimated by a mysterious entity with evil intentions. She is surprised to discover that this world holds unexpected opportunities for personal growth.
Caution: This Science Fiction Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fa/Fa Romantic Fiction Post Apocalypse Time Travel Slow Violence
The first rays of morning sunlight were streaming through the window. Essence had slept very little; she was astonished – and yes, thrilled – at what had just transpired. For weeks now, she’d been trying to come up with a way to break the ice with Abby – to see if she was open to something more than just a platonic friendship with a woman. And now, Abby had answered that question herself, simply by being the one to take the initiative.
Abby had quickly drifted off to a sound sleep in Essence’s arms. At some point during the night, Essence had shed her clothes, and they were now pressed up together in delicious skin-to-skin, head-to-toe contact. Abby still lay there in quiet slumber, breathing softly. Essence wondered what kind of dreams Abby was experiencing behind those beautiful closed eyes.
But more substantial questions remained. Would Abby’s actions – entering Essence’s room while naked in the middle of the night, and brazenly getting into bed with her – prove to be something she’d regret with the morning light? Would she have second thoughts?
There was only one way to find out.
Essence leaned in and pressed her lips to Abby’s. Slowly, she withdrew, and watched Abby begin to stir. Abby’s eyelids fluttered, as she began to awake in earnest. Essence watched breathlessly as a puzzled look crossed Abby’s face. It was immediately followed by an expression that could only be described as peaceful, followed by a soft smile. Essence leaned in for another kiss, with greater intent this time. With all of her questions finally answered, Essence leaned into the kiss
as it deepened. A few minutes later, Essence slowly pulled away.
“I love you, Abby,” she said simply.
This drew a soft smile from Abby, but a curious look as well. She sensed – correctly – that Essence needed to elaborate a little more.
“I think,” Essence went on, “that I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you there in Elena’s treatment room, under anesthesia.”
Abby’s smile widened a bit as she weighed the ramifications of Essence’s declaration. She hesitated for a second before replying. “I’m ... getting there,” she said. “I’m probably already there. Just remember ... this is all new for me. But there’s no question ... I do have deep feelings for you that go beyond mere friendship.”
“That’s enough for me,” smiled Essence, running her fingers through Abby’s gorgeous hair.
They gazed deeply into each other eyes for a bit. There was an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed, and Essence didn’t waste any time.
“You’re going back to your own time,” she said simply. It was a statement, not a question.
Abby nodded. “Yes. You’re okay with that?” A look of concern crept across her face.
“I understand,” replied Essence. “I’d do the same if I were you.”
“So,” Abby said, “let’s not dwell on that too much. Let’s just treasure the time we have together. One day at a time.”
“Deal.”
As that word escaped from Essence’s mouth, Abby let her fingers brush up against Essence’s nipple, drawing a deep sigh from Essence.
“May I?” Abby said with a devilish grin, lowering her face toward Essence’s breast.
“You need not even ask, my love,” said Essence as Abby, without hesitation, engulfed Essence’s breast with her mouth. She remained stationed there for a good ten minutes, sucking, licking, and flicking.
Finally, she pulled away and smiled. “I love doing that. It’s so ... intimate. I feel like I’m joined to you.”
Essence merely smiled as she upped the ante. Reaching downward, she softly ran her index finger along the length of Abby’s vaginal slit. She noted that Abby was, in fact, quite wet. Abby gave a soft purr, as Essence sat up and began to reposition herself.
“Yes,” Abby told her. “Do it.” She laid back fully and parted her legs, revealing fully her orange-red bush. Like most women in this time period, Abby had chosen not to shave her pubic region. Essence didn’t hesitate. This was the moment – the one she’d been dreaming about for so long. Not rushing things, she worked Abby up with a series of licks and nuzzles from her tongue.
“Oh my God!” squealed Abby, shivering with delight. “You do that so well!”
Essence continued to work teasingly, tantalizingly, wanting Abby to savor this experience. Several times, she brought Abby to the brink and then eased off with licks on the outer edge of her labia, just barely keeping the momentum going. Finally, she felt that Abby was ready. Essence directed all of her attention on Abby’s clit, and moments later, Abby erupted in her first female-induced orgasm.
Essence drew up alongside Abby and held her close was she came down from the climax. A moment or two later, Abby turned toward her and spoke tentatively.
“I want to return the favor,” she said. “But I’m not quite ready to do ... that. I want to. Just not yet.”
Essence just flashed an understanding smile. Wordlessly, she took Abby’s hand and placed it on her own sex. She proceeded to show Abby exactly the kind of motion she liked – up and down, avoiding the clit until the last moment. Abby caught on right away – it was the same motion she had always used while masturbating. By now, Essence was more than ready for release, and it wasn’t long before she reached her own climax.
Abby and Essence just lay there in each other’s arms, enjoying the afterglow. It was Essence who realized that for now, they needed to return to their everyday responsibilities.
“Work calls,” Essence commented with a tight-lipped smile.
“For both of us,” Abby agreed.
As they started to untangle and get up, Abby noted, “We have tonight, and the next day, and the day after that.”
“That’s a very healthy attitude,” Essence pointed out. “One day at a time.”
“It was strange over at the lab this morning,” Essence said to Maeve with a slight laugh, several hours later, following her workday. They were seated together on the sofa in Maeve’s living room, where they’d sat so often before. They were part way through a long discussion, the topic being obvious.
“Strange in what way?” said Maeve with curiosity.
“Everyone could tell that something was different between Abby and me. Tessie was the one who finally asked us what was going on. Guess it’s hard to hide.” There was a dreamy look on Essence’s face that Maeve had already taken note of.
Maeve paused before offering commentary. “It shows on your face, Essence,” she said gently. “I saw it the moment you walked in here.”
Essence gave a soft sigh. “Guess I’m not as stoic as I like to think I am.”
Maeve laughed. “I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. You’re not.”
A brief pause ensued before Maeve went on. “Essence, I’m happy for you. You deserve this. What’s different about you now is that you look ... peaceful. Like something has finally been settled.”
“It has,” Essence agreed. “It has. But there’s the issue of Abby returning to her own time. We talked that out, and we’re on the same page. We decided that we would make the best use of whatever time we have.”
“A sensible approach,” said Maeve. “There’s no blueprint for this situation, so you have to do what you have to do.”
Essence hesitated for a moment. She was about to veer into touchy territory. “There’s another thing we need to discuss – you and I.”
Maeve looked knowingly at Essence, appearing to anticipate Essence’s next words.
“We’ll always be the best of friends,” Essence explained. “But I’ll have to stop the physical intimacy. Abby and I haven’t declared exclusivity, but it feels like things are headed in that direction.”
Maeve gave a tight-lipped smile. “I’ve always had the sense that this day would arrive. We’ve always been there for each other, giving each other the support we’ve needed. I’m still here, even if the kind of support that we give each other will have to change. And again ... I’m very happy for you.” She reached over and gripped Essence’s arm, a gesture filled with friendly affection.
While Essence was having her chat with Maeve, Abby decided to head over to Jason’s place. She’d been doing that increasingly often of late. Jason just had a way of making her feel grounded in a way she couldn’t describe. His place always held a comfortable stillness - an old-world quiet that made Abby feel strangely at peace. She spilled the news about Essence and herself the moment she was seated on the sofa in his living room.
“I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that,” said Jason with a crooked grin.
“Now, why is no one surprised? No one at all?” said Abby with a laugh. “When I told Hannah earlier today, she just kind of rolled her eyes and said, ‘It’s about time.’”
“One thing I’ve learned in my eighty-four years,” Jason explained with a twinkle in his eye, “is that people are generally worse at hiding their true feelings than they think they are.”
“Maybe,” allowed Abby. “But in this case, it’s more like everyone saw something that I didn’t see myself.”
Jason nodded. “Let me ask you this ... has this development made you change your mind about returning to 2023?”
“Not at all,” Abby said. “Essence and I talked that through. But tell me ... if you were in my shoes, twenty-five years old, would you want to go back, or would you rather stay here?”
Jason didn’t answer right away. He stared into his mug, the coffee’s surface dark and still. Finally, he set the cup down on the side table, leaned back, and gave a long, thoughtful sigh.
“I’d go back,” he said. “No question.”
Abby blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he said, voice steady. “Really. Even with all the crap - the endless passwords, the rent hikes, the noise, the burnout. It was messy, but it was alive. People still had choices. And there was still beauty in the chaos.”
She nodded slowly, taking that in.
Jason went on. “Now? Everything feels ... thin. Like we’re living in the after-image of a real world. The planet’s quieter, yeah, but not in a good way. Not the peaceful kind of quiet. The grieving kind.”
Abby hugged her knees closer. “It does feel like that sometimes. Like we’re inside someone’s memory of life, not actually living it.”
Jason nodded. “And knowing what I know now? The way it all fell apart? Yeah - I’d go back and live 2023 all over again. I’d cherish the normal things. Stand in line at the DMV and not complain.”
Abby smiled faintly. “That’s pushing it.”
He chuckled. “Okay, maybe I’d still complain. But I’d mean it less.”
They both sipped in silence for a moment, the weight of his answer settling between them.
“If you go back,” Jason finally said, “you might be able to change things ... maybe even find a way to prevent the Incidents from happening. Ever think about that?”
“All the time,” said Abby. “I’ve been meaning to have a talk with Taff about that ... whether it will be possible to change history the second time around. And what the effect of changing history might be.”
Another moment of silent contemplation ensued.
“Hey,” Abby said suddenly, “do you have a picture of yourself from back then? I mean, from when you were around my age?”
Jason raised a brow. “You want to see the young, dashing airman?”
“I do,” she grinned. “You’ve got that voice - you know, the ‘guy who probably looked great in aviator sunglasses’ voice.”
He gave her a dry smile, then slowly got up from the recliner with the practiced rhythm of old knees and habit. “Give me a sec.”
He shuffled off to the back room, rummaging with quiet determination. Abby sipped her coffee and let her eyes wander over the worn furniture, the old photographs on the shelf - some in color, some fading to sepia. Life had lived hard in this little room, and it had stayed.