An Ma"s question effectively stopped all conversations.An Ning and Hank and Kari and even Gu Sheng, who had been staring at Lux for the last ten minutes like an idiot, turned to look at Nian Zhen, who reddened under their intense stares.
"Well, where is he?" demanded An Ma.
"I...that is..."
But before An Ning could finish her lame excuse, Hippolyta surprisingly came to her rescue.
"Let"s talk about that later, shall we? I presume you"ve also prepared some food for us, king?" she said, meeting Nian Zhen"s eyes.
"Yes. I mean yes... your...yes," Nian Zhen stammered.
"I"ll go tell the kitchen," Kari said. "Please excuse me..."
"Are you another one of my granddaughter"s friends?" Hippolyta asked Kari. "Thank you for having us," she smiled.
"It"s no big deal...really..so happy to meet you. Er...that is...you look very beautiful," Kari said then as if realizing her gaffe, she flushed a guilty red and stammered. "I"m sorry. I didn"t mean. Sorry," she said, throwing An Ning a panicked look.
But Hippolyta laughed.
"Hear that, darling?" she told her husband. "Somebody still thinks I"m beautiful. Still got some spice in this old woman."
"Who said you"re an old woman?" Li Cheung asked. "You"ll always be young to me, mine heart," he smiled softly then dropped an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
Lux rolled her eyes, her gaze meeting Gu Sheng"s, who turned beet red and hid behind An Ning this time.
Dinner that night was very lively. Nian Zhen sat at the head of the table with An Ning three persons away from him. He had tried catching her eye to signal her to sit next to him but she was talking to Ceres who of course naturally pulled her down to sit next to her. Her father then occupied the sit next to An Ning and fairly manipulated her attention so there was not even a glance between them during dinner.
Nian Zhen was forced to entertain Hippolyta who sat on his right. But he was too preoccupied about An Ning, too jealous of the attention she was giving An Ma and too mad about it, that his attention would often wander over to where she was, laughing and joking with her parents, that he would stop talking mid-sentence and just stare at her. When he failed to answer Hippolyta"s polite question about the flavor of a certain dish, she stopped and just enjoyed his preoccupation, watching him throw another glare in An Ning"s direction like she was watching a highly amusing ping pong compet.i.tion.
As for me An Ning, she was oblivious, enjoying the company of her parents and exchanging wacky looks with Lux and Cas. It was the first time she could remember that all of them were together like this. Her grandparents stuck in limbo for years. Speaking of which...
"Grandmama, you still haven"t told me what you did all those years you were away," An Ning said. "Did you just wander about or did you do something else?"
"Believe it or not, your grandmother and I founded a country," Li Cheung asked, laughing mischievously.
"You never told me that, Dad," Ceres said. "What country? And where is it?"
"Well, we got tired of traveling after a while and decided to settle down in this place. We called it Ceresia, which of course is named after you, darling daughter. We couldn"t be with you but at least we kept alive your memory by naming a country after you."
Ceres was stunned, looking at her beaming parents then she burst into sobs, which so alarmed An Ma that he stood up and gathered her in his arms. Hippolyta and Li Cheung were also stunned and rushed to Ceres whose sobbing was so mournful and pitiful that An Ma threw a helpless look at An Ning who took Ceres from her father"s arms and into hers, allowing her mother"s shaking body to rest against hers while talking to her in soft tones.
"Darling, they"re back now. Everybody"s together again and the kids are here and we"re all fine and nothing will separate us ever again. Don"t cry anymore, mom. I"m here. I"m here," An Ning crooned, cradling her mother"s body tightly in her arms.
The feel of Ceres" shaking body against hers tightened something in An Ning"s chest. Of all of them who left, the only constant someone who stayed behind had been Ceres. Ceres who had watched her parents leave, watched everyone she loved perish under Yu Yan"s madness, watched her daughter call another woman mother while she had been imprisoned, and then An Ning"s sudden disappearance. She had withstood all of that without breaking apart, had even used her forced imprisonment to build a financial empire with Enxuo, and she had hoped and prayed and maybe in her heart of hearts had believed in a miracle that would see her family together again. She had seen that miracle happen, standing side by side with the man she found again after so many years of heartache. And she had asked nothing for herself except her family, for each of them to be safe so they might find their way to each other again if not soon then in perpetuity.
"Darling, you don"t like the name, is that it?" An Ning teased. "What about we change the name to my name? An Ningsia? Hmn...it doesn"t sound as good as Ceresia though."
Ceres lifted her head from her daughter"s shoulders and chuckled. Her face was streaked with tears and there was an aching vulnerability in her eyes when they met An Ning"s. She was not a fussy person nor a demanding mother. She would endure as she always had but it didn"t mean that she wouldn"t worry. She hadn"t asked An Ning any questions that might put her in a position where she might be embarra.s.sed or worse, hide things from her. That had always been An Ma"s role. She didn"t even care that her daughter came home changed and ten years younger from the last time she saw her but her joy was seen in the quiet looks she would give An Ning, the fleeting touches on her shoulder to a.s.sure herself her daughter was really there. And she wouldn"t even asked about Richard, An Ning"s ex-husband, glowering at them from across the table wearing the face of a man she didn"t know.
"I"m alright, darling," she smiled. "I was just overwhelmed by your grandfather"s very impressive gift. Thank you, dad. This is the same way you used to reward me when I did well in school, remember? You"d always bring me something, toys, flowers, jewelry. But this one, a country named after me, this is beyond what I was expecting. Thank you, daddy. Mom."
Li Cheung gently wiped Ceres" tears with his fingertips then kissed her cheek.
"My darling girl. I would have given you the world if I could but shrink it. But I think you"ll fall in love with this one. Our Ceresia is as lovely as our beloved daughter."
"Where is it, grandpa?" Cas was looking at his great-grandfather with more than curiosity. "Is it near here? Can we go there for a visit?"
"Yes, I was planning on doing that. Take you all there so you can see what we"ve done the last twenty years. It was hard work but worth it," Hippolyta said, taking Ceres" hand in hers in a tight grip.
Hippolyta was not very demonstrative with her affections but it was there in her eyes, the glint of pride in them as she gazed contentedly at her growing brood. The years apart had not been in vain after all. Her daughter, who had endured a witch"s curse which put her in a cave for twenty years, had borne a daughter as cunning and strong-willed as any Amazons. Ceres may have consciously rejected the leadership role during her mother"s absence but An Ning had risen up to the challenge without being asked, freeing the Amazons from their captivity and guiding them to a new life imperiled more from ignorance of technology than the threat of war.
And the next generation was also going off to a swell start. The twins may not be warriors but then n.o.body expected them to be. Children born in each generation had their own choices to make, their chosen path different from their elders. She will not impose that her children and her children"s children follow the same b.l.o.o.d.y road she had chosen for herself years ago. That had been a different time from a different era and had nothing to do with the now. The twins were free to leave or stay. Their mother seemed capable of covering up for them well into the next 500 years anyway. This small family group of women warriors had survived all that fate can throw at them and thrived. And with An Ning at the helm, the future seemed to be set and off to a good start.
"But how do we get there, gran?" Lux piped in next. "Do we get to travel in the bus again?"
"Yes, we take the same bus," Hippolyta laughed.
"I was expecting your time machine to look really scary imposing, grandmama," An Ning said, chuckling. "But all I got was a beetle bus. It was quite an anti-climax."
"The time machine is a beetle bus?" Hank sounded flabbergasted. "A Volkswagen bus?"
"Actually it"s a 1963 yellow Volkswagen camper bus," Hippolyta said smiling.
"Her favorite 1963 yellow Volkswagen camper bus," Li Cheung said, meeting her smile with a fond look.
"But why a beetle bus? Why not a sports car or a ship or something bigger?" Kari asked, frowning.
"It was our first car," Li Cheung shrugged. "I bought it for her as a lark because I wanted to take her to this place I wanted her to see for her birthday. We took the bus and we spent an entire night there just looking at the stars."
"And you know I love the color yellow, darling," Hippolyta chimed in. "So, when I built the time machine it seemed appropriate somehow to use the yellow bus."
"But how did you power it, that"s what I want to know," Hank said eagerly, like a young boy with his first gun. "You didn"t use energy available anywhere in the world. You created something else. So, what was it?"
Hippolyta looked at him but didn"t say anything anymore.
Hank was clearly frustrated and opened his mouth to speak again but stopped when he saw An Ning"s warning glare. He clamped his mouth shut, reddening.
If Hippolyta was aware of any undercurrent urgency in his question she pretended not to know. She and Li Cheung and the twins look out the open window to gaze at the stars, Li Cheung embracing her from behind while the kids peppered them with questions.
An Ning was conversing with her mom and dad, her face soft and tender. Her eyes though would occasionally wander towards Cas and Lux, as if rea.s.suring herself of their presence. Gu Sheng had wandered over to the group, inching to be included where Lux was and was rewarded for his patience when Hippolyta spoke to him, pointing to the stars above. Cas looked over to him and also spoke to him. Soon the two young men where conversing as if they had been friends of long-standing. Lux was indifferent, leaning against Hippolyta with her young arms encircling her waist.
Nian Zhen looked at the tableau and frowned. He tried to copy Gu Sheng"s strategy and walked over to where An Ning was. An Ma politely welcomed him with small talk. Ceres though was more forthcoming. She smiled and asked him about the palace, about his parents, and about Chengdi. She seemed genuinely interested which seemed promising especially in the face of An Ma"s polite indifference.
He and An Ning were finally given a chance to be alone together when An Ning volunteered to check on the yellow camper. They left it as it was out in the open and she was a bit worried about the wildlife getting to it. Kari and Hank volunteered to go with her, excited to see the legendary time machine but were cut down by Nian Zhen"s ferocious glare. The pair withdrew, mumbling under their breaths.
The lights leading to the building where the yellow camper was parked gave the darkness surrounding it a mysterious yet sad air. The silence was profound especially between the two people immersed in it.
"Ning Ning," Nian Zhen said, suddenly stopping and looking at her.
"Hmn?" An Ning said, somewhat preoccupied.
"I want to tell your parents about me. I think it"s the best thing to do. I don"t want your father thinking I brought you here for revenge. That"s not true at all."
An Ning lifted her head and looked at him.
"No. Let me do it my way. I have to slowly get them used to the idea."
"But I want to tell the kids," Nian Zhen protested. "Seeing them...did you know that Cas looked so much like me when I was at that age? It was uncanny. I thought I was seeing my double. And Lux has mom"s features. She has mom"s eyes, her nose and lips. Mom would freak out if she sees her. Ning Ning..."
"I know. I"m not trying to make things difficult for you, Nian Zhen. My father hates you and the kids...we never had an opportunity to talk together concerning who their father really is. Thank G.o.d Han left before they were born but I never told them anything about you either. I didn"t know where to start. Think about it, the story involved spirit swapping and Han possessing your body and you being a ghost...I didn"t think they were ready to hear anything about the unexplained mysteries of the world," An Ning said a little ruefully.
Nian Zhen didn"t speak, his eyes unblinking on An Ning"s face.
"That night, I came to your apartment because I was angry and hurt. I heard from my parents about you and Han that day and I suddenly felt very scared. I didn"t know why but the idea of you and my brother frightened me. To be honest, I was very confused about everything that happened between us. You were my friend. I may have married you knowing I didn"t love you as my chosen bride but that didn"t mean that I wouldn"t honor my commitment to you. I married you because I liked you, Ning Ning. Maybe that"s not a very good basis for a lasting marriage but for me it was enough to spend my life with you, have children with you, die with you. It was a commitment and honestly, I was looking forward to it, our life together."
Nian Zhen stopped, a spasm of something like hurt and pain crossing his face.
"Please, let me speak," he said, as An Ning made a slight movement. "I need to get this off my chest now or I never will." He took a deep breath and continued. "When I met Valerie...she was like an enchantment. She made me feel good. She made me laugh. She made me feel different about myself. I"ve thought about this for so long and I could only come up with one reason why I fell for her so easily. I was very inexperienced when we married. I didn"t know anything about relationships, never talked to any other woman besides you for longer than ten minutes, and although I had one or two s.e.xual encounters before that, never really had desire punched me in the gut the first time I saw her."
Nian Zhen laughed, mocking himself.
"But once you asked me for divorce, it"s like I came out of that fog with only one thought in mind, I have to right everything between us and ask you, even beg you to take me back. But then I heard about you and Han...I think I went crazy."
Nian Zhen looked at An Ning with a tortured expression on his face.
"That night, I came to ask you if you"ll have me back. Beg you but...you turned away. It was obvious you"ve changed. You didn"t want me anymore. Wasn"t even interested in anything I might say in my defense. I was scared. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was missing an important part of myself. I didn"t do it for revenge. I didn"t do it because of hurt pride. I did it because it was the only thing I thought I could do to make you mine again. Ning Ning, I know I hurt you. I did something despicable that even now I am ashamed to even think about. I hurt my best friend. I hurt the only woman I"ve ever loved in my life. I hurt my wife whom I love very much. Forgive me. Please, forgive me."
An Ning found herself suddenly enclosed in his arms. He kissed her like she was a fragile piece of porcelain, his lips pressed against hers in the lightest of caresses, his body taut with the effort to hold back. An Ning, however, didn"t want to be treated as fragile and breakable. She was a strong woman who desired a man who desired her back.
Her mouth opened and her tongue flicked tantalizingly against his, nibbling and sucking, holding nothing back. Nian Zhen groaned when her tongue explored the inside of his mouth with a teasing, licking motion that made the hair on his scalp stand. An Ning angled her body so that her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rubbed deliciously against his chest, the tips already turgid with desire. Her rounded hips cradled his thigh between her open legs while she rubbed and grind herself against his crotch. An Ning released a long and l.u.s.ty moan when the hardness between his legs sc.r.a.ped and rubbed the sensitive point where her legs joined.
Nian Zhen deepened the kiss by lasciviously tangling his tongue with hers, his hands holding her tighter and closer, his hardness and her softness now frantically rubbing against each other, antic.i.p.ating and seeking their joining.
The two of them were out in the open, standing under the spotlight of the soft candles. Close to ravishing the woman writhing and moaning in his arms, Nian Zhen pulled An Ning behind the shade of a large tree where he proceeded to undress her beautiful body and bare her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to his hungry mouth. His tongue teased the engorged nipples and alternately pulled and sucked at the tips, the sound of his wet sucking and An Ning"s breathy gasping loud in the silence.
Nian Zhen"s hands went down her hips and rubbed the round softness of her b.u.t.tocks. His fingers lingered in the springy flesh until one hand found the downy hair between her legs and a finger teasingly flicked her nub. An Ning moaned, her mouth opening in a throaty gasp as the finger found her wet and aching core and delved inside. The finger swirled around the engorged lips, teasing the wet hole between until An Ning, now gasping and moaning with need, thrust forward and her sheath swallowed the teasing finger inside.
An Ning"s body convulsed, her pelvis moving backward and forward against Nian Zhen"s invasive digit. Nian Zhen rode her o.r.g.a.s.m by wrapping her long legs around his waist and replacing his finger with his hard as rock c.o.c.k. One single thrust and An Ning"s body went over the edge. Her legs tightened around his waist, her juices wetting his b.a.l.l.s, her soft cries of completion urging him on.
Nian Zhen pressed An Ning against the tree and f.u.c.ked her violently, the intensity of his thrusting and pulling wakening An Ning"s sated body to another round of carnality. Nian Zhen ravished the wet and delicious body beneath his while his mouth devoured and sipped at her tongue.
The climax when it came almost drowned them both in estacy. An Ning threw back her head and screamed, Nian Zhen following behind her with an almost guttural snarl.
"An Ning, I love you," Nian Zhen"s whispered words were the last thing An Ning heard before she fell into his waiting arms and slept.