Essene beliefs encouraged a life of modesty and renunciation. Life on Earth, was an opportunity to experience the temptation and pain of the body, to overcome it, and to see through the false promises of gain and personal glory.

Most followers lived far from the city in wilderness areas where they could focus on study and meditation. Physical comforts were thought to create attachment to the world, so they were mostly shunned. The physical realm was considered only temporary, on the way back to rejoining The All.

After the midday meal, Mary, Eran, and the boys worked to set up their own campsite. They moved stones and flattened the ground to level it out, making a place where they could pitch two tents supplied by Amun. This would be home for as long as they stayed.

Since the village was located at a higher elevation, nights could be much cooler and damper than Nazareth. When packing for the trip, Eran made sure to bring as many blankets as they could carry. Good blankets were not easy to come by on the road, and were expensive to purchase. Like money, they could be used to trade for other necessities.

Dusk was fading quickly, A cool wind swirled through the trees and into camp. Eran had dug a small fire pit between the tents, and it was there that he and Mary sat with the boys. Everyone was physically exhausted from the long days travel and feeling a bit lost, trying to adjust to their new reality.

They sat together by the fire, its flames shifting with the breeze, lighting their tired faces with a warm pulsating glow. One by one the boys retired to their tent; unsure of what to do with themselves in the strange new setting. Mary had hoped that their shared journey would bring them closer together as brothers. That was still to be seen.

She leaned over against Eran and nestled her head against his shoulder, relishing their first private moments alone.

Eran wrapped his arm around Mary and pulled her closer. There had been no time for feelings since Josh and Ann's death. Now, having shepherded his new family to safety, he could begin to let down his defenses.

Instead of focusing on his losses, Eran thought about how fortunate he was to find refuge in this remote community far away from the Romans grasp. The Essenes were a small sect mostly disregarded by the Roman world. It was the last place the authorities would look for him. Staying here for the time being was fortunate, though it would take some getting used to. Graciously, Amun had said they could stay for as long as they needed.

Holding Mary now was the closest to Josh that Eran would ever be again. She was a woman and not his first choice for a physical partner. Yet she was with him and needed to be comforted by someone she trusted; just as he needed someone familiar to hold onto.

As a slave, Eran's role was to serve the needs of others. His empathic skills had served him well. The kindnesses returned to him allowed him to thrive.

People who had been separated from their birth family, rarely found it possible to find a deep connection to others. As a slave, he was fortunate to land in Josh's possession -- a lucky turn of events. Eran was thankful for his good fortune.

Now that Josh was gone, he was free to pursue a new life as a free man, as long as he stayed away from the Romans. Maybe they would forget about him. Possibly his quick escape to the mountains had left them no trail to follow. Now, he was the head of his own family -- for better or worse. The gods had been merciful.

Mary's risky plan to present him as her husband was absolute genius. For that Eran owed her his life. Without her claim he would be a captive now, sold to the highest bidder and treated as chattel.

Eran stroked Mary's hair softly. He could feel her grasp grow tighter. She must be in such pain he thought, grieving the loss of her parents, her home, her safety. This most recent loss was not the first for her, he thought. Her husband Joseph had died just a few years earlier. That must have been particularly hard for her. Despite the odd circumstances of their marriage, she had been faithful to the old man.

Eran felt a special connection to Mary. His unique knowledge of Jesus's strange conception and birth added to his empathy for her situation. How cruel life had been to her despite her privileged birth. Yet through it all, she was a good, strong, woman who had always treated him like family.

As he reflected more on Mary's history, he drew her closer. They had shared so much that was unspoken -- perhaps never to be mentioned. At least they could enjoy the connection of physical touch. Eran closed his eyes and allowed himself to be in the moment.

Mary turned to look into Eran's eyes. Shadows from the firelight flickered across his dark features. Long, wavy dark hair with wisps of grey framed his chiseled face. Mary knew that Eran was fond of her. Perhaps like a father for a daughter, she thought. She resolved to let her concealed feelings show, not sure of how he would react. She timidly pulled her body up onto his without speaking. She embraced his bearded face, pulling it down toward hers.

Eran focused on Mary's face -- her brown eyes gazing intently into his own. She pressed her lips softly to his mouth and kissed him. Though surprised, Eran wrapped his arms tightly around her, kissing her gently at first, and then more passionately as they continued to embrace. Together they yielded to feelings of passion infused with shared sadness.

They kissed for a while but stopped short of anything more. Both were very tired. The depth of feelings expressed by their new closeness was enough for now. They rested in each other's arms for a long time and fell asleep, not wanting to let go of the moment.

Sometime later, Mary awoke. She opened and closed her eyes several times. She expected to see the faint morning's light, her favorite part of the day. Instead it was still dark, quite dark, she thought. She rubbed her eyes and brushed the hair from her face.

She sighed deeply and rolled over onto her side. She realized that she was now inside her tent, under several blankets, lying naked next to Eran. She was grateful to be inside, away from the cold nights air, but she could not recall going there, or getting undressed.

She could feel Eran's body contoured to hers, wrapped in the same blanket. She felt under the cover and ran her fingers along his muscular leg, over his slim hips and toward his broad chest. His body felt warm, and his skin was unexpectedly smooth.

At that moment Mary remembered kissing Eran on the mouth. She had not dreamt their encounter. She remembered kissing him, and him kissing her back, but after that, nothing more until she woke up next to him. She wondered if they had made love. How could she have missed that?

Though she was married to Joseph for almost 10 years, she could not remember ever lying next to him like this. He had always insisted that they sleep separately, for which she was grateful, because he snored loudly at night. She could not recall becoming pregnant with Jesus. She was just 13 when it happened. Her memories of those days were a blur. It was so long ago.

Lying close to Eran she felt his body rise and fall with each breath. He seemed to be asleep. As she moved her hand across his body, she came into contact with something unexpected; something about the size of her wrist, that moved when she touched it. She let out a small gasp when she realized that it was his penis arching upward along his belly. She was fascinated by how it responded to her touch.

Mary stopped her exploration, not wanting to wake Eran. Then, she felt his hand that had been resting on her hip travel slowly upward along her body to caress her breasts.

The sensation of Eran's warm hand touching her breasts made Mary experience a wave of pleasure. As his hand traveled up her body, feelings of excitement and fear intermingled in her mind, intensifying as she felt his manhood rub slowly against her backside. She felt her body melting into him as her heart started to pound.

For a moment she was frozen, not sure what was supposed to happen next. She had never experienced such physical intimacy before. Her heart and mind raced with anticipation.

Eran's other hand slipped between her legs. His fingers were gently massaging her nether parts, that quickly became moist, easing his fingers exploration. Her body shuddered from the exquisite stimulation.

Eran pushed closer to her. She could feel his breath on her neck; his hips moved forward, his cock pushing against her. She could feel it begin to push into her slowly, gently. She gasped and clutched the blankets as he entered her. The sensation of his engorged penis thrusting deeper into her was uncomfortable and painful. Mary felt her body tighten up. She started to tremble with fear.

Eran sensed Mary's change from excitement to fear. He stopped moving for a moment letting her get used to him being inside her. He whispered into her ear, "Are you afraid?" Mary breathed out for a moment. The feelings of fear lessened as her body relaxed to accommodate him. "I have never done this before," she whispered back to Eran.

Mary feared her attraction to Eran was somehow wrong. She trusted him like her own father, but being here with him now, in this aroused state was overwhelming. Would he force her, disregarding the physical pain he was causing? Would he show any consideration for the emotional difficulty she was feeling?

Erin slowly withdrew from her and disappeared under the blanket. He positioned his head between her legs. He gently spread her legs apart and she felt his warm breath against her vagina. He started licking and massaging her labia with his tongue, gently at first then growing more assertive.

Mary's feelings of fear and uncertainty where now replaced with other feelings, also new, and very stimulating.

To her wonder, it seemed that Eran was really enjoying himself; he was practically devouring her body with his tongue. Mary became lost in the pleasure; lost in the new feelings she was experiencing.

The pleasure ebbed and flowed with Eran's attention until finally, in a moment of supreme bliss, Mary felt as if she might explode. She grabbed the blankets with both hands and squeezed them tight. Tingling waves of sensation moved upward through her body to the top of her head.

Moments later Eran emerged from under the blanket and lay alongside her. He was breathing heavily, but seemed to need a break. The two of them lay in silence, the sexual energy temporarily spent. Soon she heard Eran snoring.

A thin band of light started to appear at the bottom of the tent's door. Mary heard the sound of birds chirping and fluttering outside. It would be morning soon. Before long the boys would awaken and want food; and she would explore her new life, and new neighbors.

Mary was not yet ready to start the day. She rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket up over her head, trying to block out the growing light; hoping to get a little more sleep.

(End of Chapter 25)