Chapter 1

"I think we're the same age, now!" Jessika exclaimed, her voice full of wonder and excitement. "I always worried what would happen to us when I ... because I'm so much older... was... so much older than you..."

"But, I would never..." Vanessa tried to interrupt, her face full of upset, concerned about Jessie's feelings.

"No, it's okay," Jessie said, not allowing her Beautiful Vanessa (version 1, the original, younger one) to interrupt. "I think we're going to have a wonderful time, now," she promised.

As she hugged Beautiful Vanessa's sexy, nylon-clad body close to her, an image of an older, sadder Vanessa flashed into her mind. 'My dream, ' she remembered. 'Well, BV version 2 (BVV2? Funny!), I bet you had something to do with me being suddenly young again. You don't suppose my premature death was age related, do you? Like, you made me younger so that maybe, just maybe, this time I won't die on you? Is that what happened, you simply outlived me? That's cheating, you know? You're not supposed to change the past ... or is it the future? Your past, my future ... our future ... this is definitely confusing!'

She stared down into BV's teary eyes, a bubble of pure joy tightening her throat before it burst out in an odd laugh, surprising them both. 'But ... I'm really glad you did!' she thought at the fading image of the older Vanessa in her mind.

Whatever might happen in the future, that future Vanessa had made an attempt to change the outcome, regardless of the rules. Beautiful Vanessa would become a powerful Phoenix, but they would be paired together for their entire lives, if what she'd dreamed was true.

'Oh, and don't worry about Emma, ' Beautiful Vanessa (the older one from the future – version 2) had told her, 'We'll all get along fine.'

"I can't imagine what could have caused all that damage," Frank expounded, coming through the large, double doors at the end of the dining hall. "There's not a cloud in the sky, and that roof damage looks really weird from outside – almost like it's a perfectly round circle."

"Really?" Tanya asked. "Oh, then maybe Lisa can just make a circle of Phoenix fire and fill in the hole, ya think?"

"That's something we've never tried," Tara interjected.

"Making inanimate material from living fire," Tia added.

The twins looked at each other, an odd smile on each of their faces, then both headed upstairs as though to get to work on fixing the damage from the wild wormhole.

"When did the 'T' twins start doing twin-speak?" Frank asked, enjoying his view of two naked rumps trotting – bouncing sexily – up the stairs.

"Jeez, girls," Ric complained as he took in Jessie and Vanessa's tight, mooshy embrace. "Get a room, will ya?"

"If you do, take me with you so I can watch," Tony added, grinning, almost leering at the two of them.

"If they do take you with them," Tanya laughed, "watching is all you'll get to do," causing Tony's sappy grin to slide down his face a bit.

"What's everybody doing in the lounge?" Cook asked, coming in from the kitchen. "Who's gonna help set up all the food I fixed? Remember the deal? I cook, you serve! So..."

"We'll get it," Frank laughed, then nodded to Tanya. They both headed toward the kitchen.

"Where're the 'M' twins when we need them?" Tanya asked quietly as an aside to Frank.

"With her royal, sexy majesty, the queen, I imagine," he replied.

"Back in New Eden, then," Tanya sighed. "But they should be back in a day or so, you think?"

"Yeah, they can't stay away from here for too long," Frank grinned. "Too much fucking the tourists and the rending of teeth into sexy girl bits. They're addicted to both, I'm afraid. High court will seem dull after being here for a while."

"Seemed dull to me even before we came here and set all this up," Tanya agreed. "I was ready for you to re-invent the chainsaw, just to have something hard and wicked between my legs again."

"Still can," her loving, considerate husband leered.

"Tyros are better," Tanya grinned back at him. Frank swatted her bare rump as they headed into the kitchen.

At the palace of the queen in New Eden:

"Anyway, we thought we should let you know," Tia said.

"Wow! New disasters can happen almost anytime, huh?" Miranda chirped.

"Thank you for letting me know about the existence of this phenomenon," Alana told Tia and Tara. "What are your plans, now?

"Well, we're staying around for the 'Royal Wedding'," Tia began.

"Then going back to the twenty-second century," Tara continued.

"For some fun and games!" Tia finished.

"Fun and games?" Murielle asked.

"Isn't being eaten by tyros," Miranda began.

"Fun enough for you two?" Murielle laughed.

"Looks like I'm losing all the hired help around here," Alana laughed. "Though next time I visit Frank and Tanya, I expect to be treated to some of your 'fun and games'," this last part directed at the M-twins.

"No problem, Majesty," Murielle agreed.

"You could've been chewed on during your last visit," Miranda said.

"If you'd've stayed longer," Murielle finished.

"After all," Miranda continued.

"We told you how Tanya saved Vanessa," Murielle said.

"From blowing herself up," Miranda finished.

"Yes," Alana interrupted. "She went back in time and prevented her from exploding some sort of weapon one of the University girls invented."

The two sets of twins nodded, agreeably. Alana frowned, suspecting she was beginning to surround herself with a bunch of 'yes-men', or rather, yes-girls!

'Don't believe that, darling, ' Alana heard in her head and looked in the direction of her personal quarters, where Sibilius was lying, half asleep.

'I thought you were napping, ' Alana thought back.

Chapter 2 »