"Don't lie to me!" Mara cried, she tugged at the end of her blazer sleeves, a sign she was nervous and angry. They stood in the deserted hallway.
"I'm not lying to you, Mara! Please, believe me-"
"I saw you!" She cried, shaking her head at him "I can't believe you can look me in the eye and lie like that! I saw you with them! Joy was right! Joy's always been right! Nina has changed everyone! S-she's the leader of this secret gang and she calls the shots and you follow them! You've been sneaking around and risking your life, and the only thing you ever did was try to throw me off the trail? I thought you'd changed! I thought you loved me!" she sobbed loudly, her shoulders shaking, the tears were falling hard and she didn't want him to see her like this, especially not over him. She turned around.
Jerome's nostrils flared and his own eyes watered, but he blinked them back. She'd seen him, she'd seen everything. All those months of hiding them from her, she knew. "Mara," he whispered quietly, not stepping closer, afraid she'd run away, and it unnerved him that he couldn't see her eyes "I was trying to protect you," his voice only just loud enough to hear "I didn't want you to get hurt."
"You didn't want me to get hurt?" Mara scoffed, whirling around to face him "What about now, Jerome? I'm hurt now! Every single day when you made an excuse, I believed you! I can't believe it, how stupid am I? How clueless?"
"No, no Mara you're not," he stepped towards her, arms out, and he couldn't help the hurt that took over his face when she stepped away from him. "Look, I'm sorry, how can I make that clear?"
"You can't." Mara shrugged "All the trust I've ever had for you is gone." She wiped her tears "You won't have to lie to me anymore, because we're never gonna talk to each other again," she turned and walked towards the door when Jerome gripped her wrist.
"No." Jerome stated simply.
Mara arched her eyebrows, the tears gone, she was calm, she was Mara Jaffray, and she shouldn't yell. She was calm and rational. "Jerome, I'm breaking up with you."
"No." he shrugged, still holding her wrist.
"Jerome, you sound like Amber when Alfie broke up with her. We're through, it's getting ridiculous, it's just…inconvenient. I can't stand having secrets, but you're Jerome Clarke, your whole life is a secret, we just don't work."
"No." he repeated, shaking his head, his face totally serious. Mara just frowned at him, trying to tug her wrist out of his firm but gently grip. "Mara Jaffray, if you think I'm going to let you walk out of those doors without listening to me first, you've got another thing coming. Now I'm going to let go of your wrist, and you're not gonna run away, do you want to know why?"
"Enlighten me, Jerome."
"Because you're smart, and sensible and rational. And you don't want to make haste decisions without hearing both sides of the argument."
Mara gritted her teeth, despite everything, he knew her. He knew her very very well. She sighed, nodding her hand, pulling her hand out of his grip as soon as he let go, she stepped back slightly, but didn't run. Jerome nodded, progress.
"I'm not going to let you break up with me." He stated "I have waited too long, worked too hard, changed so much for you to walk away. Yes, I know, I'm a stupid idiot for thinking I could hide this from you forever, but I couldn't let you go through it to Mara, I just couldn't. When I first heard about it, I wanted to be in it, but now? Now Mara it scares the life out of me. I know you think it'll be fine, and you won't be scared, and maybe you won't Mara, but I couldn't stand it, just thinking you might be in dange-"
"But you think it's okay for me to know you were in danger?"
"That's why I didn't tell you!" Jerome cried, his blue eyes burning as he looked down at her "I love you, Mara. I've loved you so much longer than you've loved me. I use to dream of being with you, you were all I thought about, and nothing's changed. But Mara if you walk out that door right now I'm never going to forgive myself."
Mara swallowed "I just hate secrets," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly "And you love them, you…you find them so interesting-"
"I can change," he whispered
"No, Jerome. Stop. You've changed so much for me already, we have to start thinking that maybe…we aren't good for each other."
"But I love you." He choked out "You can't leave me."
Mara looked down at the ground. He emotions a fray. It was true, she loved Jerome, loved him with all her heart. But she hated what she'd seen, hated knowing he was tiptoeing around her feeling. She hated the fact that she hadn't seen it sooner, hated the fact she didn't believe Joy, and all the hate that she normally never felt clouded everything in her brain. She took a deep breath, not meeting his eyes "I have to,"
Suddenly his cool hands were on her face, one cupping her cheek, the other tilting her chin up to look him in the eyes. His expression was one of extreme pain "Please," he whispered, he closed his eyes and pressed their forehead together "Please," he ground out again "Please just think about what you're doing,"
Mara looked up at him, and she shut her eyes, listening to the sound of him breathing "I'm sorry," she turned and fled.
Jerome stood on shaky legs, when there was a flash outside and in ran a women, probably about 22. Jerome's eyes widened…she was beautiful, dressed in a black skin tight suit, long dark hair and large brown eyes, pink rosy lips and lightly tanned skin…she looked a lot like "Mara?" he frowned in absolute shock. "What?"
The future Mara smiled, revealing pearly white teeth "Oh Jerome!" she placed a hand over her heart "I forgot how you looked at school!" she stepped towards him, before noticing his confused stare "Oh right sorry," she brushed some hair behind her ear "I'm the future Mara obviously, 6 years to be exact,"
"Mara," a voice groaned, and in through the door came a man, who Jerome recognised as…himself.
"Oh my god," he managed, placing a hand over his mouth in utter shock "What the-"
"Have you done it yet?" the future Jerome asked
"No," the future Mara shook her head "I was just explaining who I was-"
"Flirting?" he teased. Mara rolled her eyes
"He's the past you, I'd be flirting with you, stupid." She smiled. "Now get back! We don't have much time," the future Jerome nodded, flashing a grin at the real Jerome and hopping out. "Listen, Jerome," she stepped forward "If we got it right, the past me, just ran out of the doors, right?"
Jerome nodded "How are you here? You're my future?"
"Jerome listen, you have to go after her-"
"She- well you told me not to,"
"And I know exactly what happens to me out there," she warned "I go out into the woods, right to where Rufus and Jasper are hiding. You have to find her- me." She frowned, moaning "I really hate this time travel stuff."
"Rufus?" Jerome repeated in shock "But that's not possible-"
"It is." A voice came out. And into the corridor stepped Jerome, only not the future one, this one looked exactly like him.
"Who are you?" Mara and Jerome asked in shock.
"I'm you," the boy said "Seven minutes from your future,"
"This is crazy," Jerome shook his head "This is crazy,"
"Mara we need to get back," there was a flash and suddenly the future Jerome appeared, wrapping his arms around the future Mara.
"Jerome I'm sorry," came a voice, as the real Mara walked in. She looked from Jerome, to seven minutes in the future Jerome, to the 6 year older Jerome, then to her future self. "What?" she managed.
"It's okay," the five minute future Jerome soothed, touching her arm "There's just a small relapse,"
"Get your hands off her!" the real Jerome cried stepping forward "That's my girlfriend."
"Our girlfriend,"
"Jerome?"
"Jerome?"
"Jerome?"
"Jerome?"
Jerome sat up in absolute shock, breathing heavily. "Jerome!" Alfie cried again, kicking his friend so that he fell off the bed.
"Alfie," Jerome managed, sitting up. Alfie flicked on the light.
"Are you alright mate? You fell asleep during our doctor who marathon," Alfie looked down at his best friend, grabbing his hand and hauling him up. "Jerome?"
Jerome groaned, turning to look at their laptop, doctor still playing, he rubbed his temples "That explains a lot." Then he looked up "I have to talk to Mara," he stood, pushing past Alfie
"Dude, it's 3 am, and you're in your pyjamas," Alfie noted, grinning.
Jerome rolled his eyes "Just watch the rest of this episode, then I'll come back and we'll finish up," Jerome raced up the steps, before stopping. He turned his head slightly, and he spotted Mara in the kitchen. He frowned, walking down the steps slowly, wondering what on earth she was doing up. He hid behind the door, listening
"Should we ask if we can join?" Eddie asked
Mara shook her head "Eddie, if they want to have their own little secret gang, who are we to stop them? Everyone has secrets, you have to learn to accept it,"
"But Patricia spends all her time with them,"
"Patricia and Jerome are being selfless, they're trying to save Nina's life. Let's let them be, Eddie."
Eddie nodded, sighing "At least we're not completely in the dark."
Mara smiled "When they need us, they'll ask," Jerome watched Eddie walk out of the kitchen, still hidden, and he crept into the kitchen. Mara jumped when she saw him "Jerome! Don't do that! I'll have a heart attack!"
"You know," Jerome whispered, taking her hands in his. Mara smiled sadly
"I didn't mean to pry-"
"I should have told you earlier," he whispered, he pressed his lips onto hers, and she smiled into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I don't mind, Jerome. As long as you love me,"
Jerome chuckled, taking her hand and leading her towards the windows, so they could look up at the starlit sky "Don't worry," he reassured her "I could never stop loving you, that's a promise," she buried her face in his chest, and he rested his cheek on her head, looking up at the sky, and his eyes widened, for one moment, he could have sworn he saw the Tardis, up there…blinking.
He shook his head, he'd been staying up too late.
"And I'll always love you," Mara whispered.
Jerome smiled, she knew exactly what to say.