It had been almost a year since this ordinary digital watch came into Tim Williamson's possession and he still had no idea why it was given to him. Over the last year, he tried to not think much of it, he sometimes quite enjoyed being able to travel in time like the watch allowed him to but with it coming up to a year since he got it, it's playing on his mind again.
So many reasons flashed through his mind about why he was given this watch but they all seemed too far-fetched, like something out of a novel. He toyed with the idea of phoning his parents, checking whether it was a family heirloom or something but even that seemed ridiculous to him.
Looking down at the digital timepiece bound to his wrist, he examined it again, something he had done countless times since it came to him. He even tried to take it apart once, but when he tried that, something weird happened; it fixed itself just like the movies, in a trail of yellow neon particles. Tim wanted answers, but he had no idea where to begin. Somehow searching anything online that was the truth about this watch sounded even more laughable.
But he thought it was worth a try. Taking out his laptop his brought up the search engine and searched anything about a time travelling watch. Unsurprisingly it gave him nothing; and neither did anything else.
He placed his head in his hands and rubbed his face in frustration. He knew that someone, somewhere knows something and a simple internet search isn't going to find them.
Shutting the laptop back down, he grabs his coat and goes for a walk hoping that the metaphorical light bulb would ping in his brain and he'll think of someone to go and see for some sort of guidance. He walked past a shop and decided he wanted a bottle of water and a sandwich. On his way in something in the window caught his eye, a small piece of card that requested people with strange antiques to come to see them. Tim wasn't sure if seeing these people was a bad idea and he knew that he would probably think he was crazy by bringing a ridiculous thing to them. But he needed answers and though they probably couldn't provide them, he was willing to try anything.
He took down the number and address on the card in the window and made his way back home to grab his car keys and make the drive over.
It didn't take him long to arrive at the location. A quaint little antique shop that seemed a little creepy, but oddly, Tim liked it. Opening the door, the bell rang as the top of the door bashed it and he walked across the threshold. A man soon came onto the shop floor, and Tim assumed he was the owner. The man walked up to him, "Afternoon, sir, anything I can help you with?"
"I saw a card in the window of a shop and I have something that I was hoping you could take a look at." he said politely. The man raised his arm and directed Tim into a back room. The room he walked into was much smaller than the shop floor; a round table sat in the middle of the room and three chairs surrounded it with two more against the wall in case of more visitors. His stomach fluttered and for some reason, he began to get nervous. He knew that this watch could only be a big deal if he made it as such, and they probably didn't know anything, but he still had to know either way.
"I'm Mickey Ellis and this is my wife, Florence." he introduced and Tim smiled in response. Mickey extended his hand and Tim shook it before moving on to shake Florence's hand.
"I'm Tim. Williamson."
"What can we do for you?"
Tim's voice seemed to have been stolen the minute he walked into the shop and it took him a few moments to speak, "I was sent this watch about a year ago. I have no idea why." he said, taking it off of his wrist and handing it over to Mickey. "I just wondered if it was special or something."
Mickey took a loupe out of his waistcoat pocket and looked closely at the watch. Tim felt his breathing quicken as he took a look. He looked up from the watch and looked worried, but Tim didn't pick up on it. Looking at his wife, he passed it over and after a few more minutes, she also looked concerned about the watch.
A small smile came on the shop owner's face and he handed the watch back, "Nothing special about it, Mr Williamson. The watch was made in around 1981." That was all Mickey was willing to say.
Tim didn't expect much knowing it would seem ordinary and normal on the surface. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't get any answers from them. "Thanks." he smiled and he stood from his seat. Shaking the married couple's hands once more, Tim made his way out of the shop.
Mickey covered his mouth and hyperventilated a little. "It's impossible." he exclaimed. He rushed over to a filing cabinet and took out a file that was filled to the seams of old newspaper articles – most of which written by a man named Lysander Tobois – about strange goings on that he believed were connected to an old timepiece identical to Tim's.
"We should've told him the truth, Mickey." Florence said. The pitched of her voice was much higher than normal, almost a squeak and her face had turned a worrying greying colour that slowly started to match her hair. "That watch. It's going to change his life forever."
"Shut up, Florence." he snapped. He slammed the file shut and returns it to the cabinet. The noise of Mickey forcefully shutting the filing cabinet back up made his wife jump. She had never seen her husband so angry or rattled before; but then neither of them thought the watch actually existed.
Tim parked his car outside Marcella's hoping she was home; she was the only person he could and wanted to talk to about this. She was and still is the only person who knows about the watch, and he was still the only person who knew about her power.
The key rattled in the lock and he let himself in. Marcella had rushed down the stairs and looked briefly worried, "Sorry." Tim said, realising he probably scared her.
"I forget I gave you key sometimes, that's all." she replies. Tim walks closer to her and presses his lips to hers. When he broke it off, Marcella could tell he looked down. It wasn't often she saw that face in him, but it was still one she began to know quite well. "What's up?"
Tim shakes his head and let's go of her, "It's nothing." he lied as he strayed away to sit on the sofa. He was kidding only himself when he said it was nothing, she wasn't buying it and deep down, neither was he.
"Oh, come on." she pleaded as she joined him on the sofa. "We promised each other that if anything was bothering us about our... powers, we'd talk about it." Marcella hesitated to use the word 'powers', she never saw it as a power or a gift; if anything, she saw it as a curse. Not because her power was a bad one – it does good for people – but she's only ever used it on Tim. Marcella's power is one of healing, she can control her touch to heal the injured, and it's a power she's had since the death of her daughter, Juliet. She's always felt it was some kind of punishment for not being able to save her, and she really tried to.
"I know." he agreed. He took a deep breath, "It's been almost a year since this watch came to me. I have no idea who from or why and here's the really crazy part – it travels in time." Tim scoffed. It was such a strange sentence for him to even utter.
The watch came packaged in a box with only a leaflet that he was ordered to destroy as soon as he memorised it; and that was only a simple illustration to how the thing worked. His memory for the rest of the day was pretty non-existent, the same for a few days following it. It had became obvious to Marcella when all this started that he doesn't remember quite what she does.
She had always decided not to tell Tim about what happened the day the watch arrived, she always thought that ignorance was bliss in this case. Almost a year ago – shortly after his promotion to DCI – Tim got himself involved with a children's charity and became the Chairman of the Board. Not only that, he got a little too involved with the owner of the charity, and everything turned into a big bloody mess. Literally.
When Marcella found out he had been kidnapped by two men who she believed was hired by Whitman, it took a few hours to even get a lead on his whereabouts. When they finally found him, there was blood everywhere; big streaks as if he had been dragged and puddles big enough to assume he had lost enough to at least put him in a coma. But when she and the team arrived, he was gone. Marcella began to dealt with the fact that he probably wasn't coming home and they had killed him and buried him somewhere but a couple of days later, Tim came home like nothing had happened. She decided it was best that she never asked what happened because he doesn't seem to remember any of the rest of that day.
This conversation became the norm for them of late, he kept wanting to know why he had it, and a part of Marcella wondered why he just couldn't deal with the fact that it had happened, "It's just a watch, Tim." she groaned as she stood up.
"No, it's not. You know that." he says, getting up to follow her. "That'll be like me saying you can 'just heal people' like it's nothing. It's not nothing. What we have... the things we can do, they're something. Something strange."
"But can't you just accept that it is what it is?" she questioned.
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you've not at least wondered about finding out the answers."
"I already know! I'm being punished by someone, something." she snapped, "I couldn't save my baby so now whoever gave me this curse wants me to try and save others. But I can't!"
Tim was taken aback by her little outburst. Though he understood it. He always quite liked his power and hers had been useful to him in the past. But he knew she hated it, she saw it as a curse, not a gift, and though healing people was a useful power to have, she had only ever used it on him. Because if anyone else found out, God knows what they'll think or do.
"I'm sorry." she mumbled. "I just – I don't want you to get hurt. That watch has already sent you into the middle of a war and you were shot, and I had to heal you. What if next time you can't come back?"
Tim lowered his head and clenched his jaw, she had never heard him speak like that and he never thought of it in such a way. He didn't want to be without her and she couldn't bear to ever lose him in such a way, let alone in a different era. "I just want to know, Marcella. That's all."
She moved towards him and Tim grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer with a huge grin. "Whatever you do, please, just be careful." she hums. Tim replies with only a smirk before they share a passionate kiss. "Do you need those answers now? Or do you have a little time?" she said with her smirk.
Tim's grin grew and his pupils dilated within in light blue irises, "I have all the time for you." he replied before another passionate kiss absorbed through them both and the passion for each other burned through like a fire.