Traveling To You

by scatterthestars

The rules to being a Traveler are clear and easy to understand. Chris has followed them for as long as he's been traveling through time. But this is how he breaks the biggest one of them all when he goes back and meets Darren, a man who makes him yearn for the normal life he's always wanted. Crisscolfer

I wrote this for the CCAUW theme that was time travel a few weeks ago. It got longer than expected, but I finally finished it. So enjoy!

---

He was eight when they discovered he carried the gene to be a Traveler.

Travelers, by explanation, were a select group of people who had the ability to be sent to any time and place. Why they did this, Chris didn't know. He never raised his voice to question their reason behind anything they had them do. Them being the Committee; a group of people who control every aspect of a Travelers life. What they did and where they went, and even who they married.

Only one percent of the human population are Travelers. Eight is the normal age of any person tested to discover if they carried the gene. If found you had less than two years before being taken and trained. If your parents tried to stop that from happening, the Committee made sure that by the time they finished speaking with them, they didn't say a word as their kid was taken.

Stories of parents running, trying to escape to save their child, have been whispered among Travelers. All of them ending in tragedy for both the parents and the kid. It's probably those, the ones made examples of, that there are almost no more runners. Parents quickly learned their lesson; deciding it was better if their child lived and was taken, than being killed trying to protect them.

The reason for their actions were simple: once your child is taken, you never see or hear from them again.

It's the year 3764, Earth is populated by millions instead of billions. A virus destroying a huge portion of the population in less than ten years almost a millennia before. Those alive now are separated into four types of groups: the wealthy, the middle-class, the poor, and the Travelers.

It was almost seven hundred years before when time travel was discovered, and only after extensive research, that a select people carried a mutated gene that made it possible for them to go back. When scientist tried sending a normal human, the results were disastrous and deadly.

It was with the discovery of time travel that the Committee was created with the sole purpose of finding and controlling Travelers. They designed, created, and constructed The Infinity, a building holding all Travelers.

It's here that Chris has called home for thirteen years.

At the moment, he stands in front of the Committee that consists of the people who control him. The people who tell him the when and where and why, but never ask if he desires to. He knows to never ask; to never question anything they send him to do. Rumors have been said of a few that stepped out of line and were punished; being sent to a time that was less than pleasant.

So, standing there in a plain white shirt and loose fitting cotton pants, the chill in the air making him shiver, Chris keeps his hands clasped together behind his back as he awaits his instructions.

"Mr. Colfer," a middle-aged woman he thinks to be named Jan speaks out, pulling his attention.

"Yes, ma'am," he says, knowing he's allowed since being spoken to.

"How long since your last travel?"

"Four months, ma'am." Images of being in a pre-war Poland fill his mind. He remembers the sights and smells and people he saw while he was there for those four days. But what he recalls most is a little girl about six years old with long, brown hair and green eyes in a purple dress; her smile bright as she stared at him like she knew he was different. Her question of "When is your home?" rings loud in his ears. In those few minutes he was with her, the strong urge for a normal life overtook him not for the first time. But he knows now, like he knew then, that that a "normal" life was not possible for him.

Chris doesn't hear what Jan says after he replies, seeing her whisper to the other people at the desk. Looking down at his feet, waiting until spoken to again, he thinks about his parents.

Thinking about them has him going back to when he was ten and being taken. He recalls screaming and yelling and fighting the man who held him and dragged him away. He remembers reaching out for his mom's hands, letting out loud cries and blood curdling screams, not understanding why she only turned to cry on his dad's shoulder.

When he thinks about that day, he always imagines rain pouring down hard around everything; water soaking and drenching everything, as if the rain where his tears that freely flowed. But in actuality it was a clear, sunny day. It was a perfect day for playing outside, getting a scratch on his knee, or playing with his dog. When thinking about that day, he has to add the rain, because to be taken away on a perfect day doesn't feel right. The rain makes it seem gloomier and more like it should have been: wet and miserable and an all-around terrible day.

"You are to leave for your next travel tomorrow," a woman tells him, pulling him from his memories.

"Yes, ma'am." Chris doesn't lift his head, keeping it down.

"We'll gather you in the morning. You can leave now."

"Yes," Chris says as he bows before turning on his heel and walking away.

---

"What'd the Committee want?" Lucas, his friend and roommate for the past thirteen years, asks after being escorted back to his room.

"What do you think?" Chris shrugs his shoulders. "I travel tomorrow."

"This sucks!" Lucas bellows. "I just got back last week."

Chris knows how bummed Lucas is about this. His last travel having left him in his designated time for over two months. When he finally got back, he was beyond ecstatic to see him again. Lucas told him of going to the early fifteenth century and seeing things he'd only read about in books.

The one thing with being a Traveler is being well versed in all kinds of history. Once extracted from your family, you are immediately started in on learning everything needed to know about all times and important events. Every date ever recorded is studied and learnt; burned into minds so not to be completely lost when you travel.

Chris can remember sitting in a classroom with twenty other kids like him being forced to read the book placed in front of him. The only color he can remember while being sent to that room day after day is the red of the blouse their teacher wore. He recalls how the collar was always turned up and it fit to her upper torso perfectly. It showed her curves and slim waist.

That splash of red in a room that could make go crazy with no color was what got him through those classes.

It was also through those classes that he realized he was even more different from the boys. Where they ogled and awed over the teacher, he daydreamed of the boy who sat two desks away from him. He never told anyone; keeping the secret so he could live. Because to be a Traveler required you must marry another Traveler and have kids. Something else the Committee saw to.

"They coming to get you in the morning?"

"Yeah," Chris responds as he throws himself on his bed. "Wish I knew where I was going."

"You didn't ask?" Lucas jokingly asks, knowing full well never to ask any sort of questions.

"Ha ha," Chris mumbles as he buries his head in his pillow. "How long until dinner? I'm starving."

"About thirty minutes. Although, you can't eat much before a travel. Don't want to get sick."

"Fuck," Chris curses, feeling even more dejected. "You're right. I hate this fucking prison!"

Some would say Chris is being overdramatic in calling the Institution a prison. Yeah, you are never allowed to leave and are restricted to what you can do or read or watch. But many would kill to be in here than on the outside where the world is not a fake paradise created to keep a select group of people happy and comfortable.

But Chris still hates it here. He wishes there were some way to escape and run away.

Thirty minutes later a voice over a loudspeaker announces dinner, and the sound of their door unlocking has Chris pushing himself up off his bed.

"Being called like cattle," he mumbles as he opens the door and walks out. He sees all the other residents, the Travelers, of The Infinity filing out of their rooms and heading to the cafeteria.

"You say that," Lucas says as he walks next to him. "But look how easily we listen."

Chris does have to give it to him; looking around, he sees as they easily and unquestioningly follow what is requested of them. For thirteen years of his life, he's lived like this, but he's starting to feel like that single fish swimming against the stream, fighting to prove they can do it. He wants to fight what he is and live the life he deserves.

---

Waking up at the gentle nudge of his shoulder, Chris blearily blinks his eyes open to see a familiar face with a kind smile.

"Hi, Dianna," he groggily says, already knowing the drill as to why she's here. "I'll be ready in ten."

"Take your time," she softly says as she sits in a metal chair and prepares the proper syringes. "You can make them wait a few minutes."

"And get in trouble? No thanks." Stripping out of his clothes, use to Dianna seeing him naked, he puts on the clean clothes brought to him by Dianna, quietly laughing at the picture of a monkey hanging from a tree branch by his tail with the caption "What's hanging?" Pulling on some really tight jeans, hating whoever decided on his wardrobe, Chris lets out a huff of breath after finally getting the jeans around his hips and buttoned.

"Wouldn't happen to know when I'm going, do you?" he asks as he sits down and pulls on black looking combat boots, lacing them up.

"You know I can't tell you," Dianna says, managing to sound upset at not being able to tell him what he wants to know.

In the five years since he's been traveling, Dianna has been his handler from his first trip. She was kind and comforting that first time he went, telling him it doesn't take but a few seconds for it to happen. Ever since then, besides Lucas, she's the only one he would call one of his friends. He trusts her even though she is works for the group of people who keep him locked away here.

"Are you ready?" she asks as she stands up, carrying the syringes in a bag all the way unzipped and lying flat open, setting them on her lap as she moves to sit by him on his bed.

"Yeah." Chris holds out his right arm, hating this part. It's as he sits there, getting the first of three shots, does something feel different. Something about this travel feels weird, and Chris can't put his finger on it. "I'm not being sent to a terrifying time, am I?"

"No," Dianna softly replies, pulling the needle from his arm. "I think you'll enjoy the time you're being sent to."

"Can you tell me how long?" Chris turns to look at her with a hint of doubt filling his features. "Please."

"Ten days this time only." Dianna looks at him with worry. "Is everything okay, Chris? The last time I saw you terrified like now before a travel was when you were going the first time."

"Something feels weird about this travel." Chris nervously bounces his knee, feeling the tension slowly creeping into his shoulders. "I don't know what it is...but I can feel it. Something is going to happen."

"Hopefully nothing to get you into too much trouble," Dianna tells him with a kindness to her voice.

Finishing with the shots, Chris follows her out of the room. He hears the lock of the door as she holds her badge over the scanner, leaving when she starts walking.

The soft thumps of his boots hitting the floor, combined with the click of Dianna's heels, are the only noises that can be heard as they make their way to the room dubbed "The Jumper." They call it that because it jumps them from one time to another.

Coming into a room filled with about twenty people all doing their own thing at a computer, Chris watches as they type and press buttons on the projections in front of them. Following Dianna to the chair in the middle of the room, he takes a seat and tries to relax as they strap him in. "Don't suppose I can request a trip to Paris in 1969," he teases as one of the men strapping him in pulls a little too tight on the strap around his wrist.

He sees Dianna turn her lips up into a small smile, patting his arm when they are finished. "I'll see you soon," she whispers when everyone walks away.

"Bye, for now." Chris weakly smiles and closes his eyes, not anticipating the oncoming jolt he will feel when he leaves. He hears the beeps of a heart monitor and people pressing buttons on their screens, and the sound of the air conditioner running low to keep the room cool. He hears the initial countdown that always starts right before he leaves.

It runs through him a few seconds later. It's a rush of energy that overtakes and surrounds him; it pulls at him in a way that makes it feel like he's on leash being pulled to some place he doesn't want to go. He closes his eyes and just feels as he is transported to a time that he's never been to.

Day one

Opening his eyes, his vision is filled a clear, blue sky. Beneath his hands he feels soft grass, and around him he can hear people talking and birds chirping and dogs barking. The sounds of the city alive and thriving around him do nothing to help with terrible headache he always gets when he travels.

Slowing pushing himself up, he rubs his eyes until his vision clears. Walking out of what seems to be a park; Chris pays no mind to where he is and doesn't see he's crossing a busy street.

One second he's walking along with a terrible headache and the next he finds himself being pushed out of the way and knocked to the ground right before a car was able to hit him.

"You okay?" the man on top of him asks, his voice filled with actual concern and worry.

"Yeah, I'm just a b-" Chris turns his head to finally get a good look at the man who saved him and suddenly feels a crack in the armor he so carefully constructed to keep from falling for anyone.

He knows the rules; he is strictly forbidden from being with anyone while in a different time. And for the past five years he's followed that rule. The knowledge of being caught is what made him build a wall-an armor-around himself to prevent that from happening. But with a single glance at this stranger he can see himself throwing all rules out the window.

"I'm fine," he finally manages to say. "Just a bit shaken up. Thank you for saving me."

"It's what anyone would have done," the stranger says, smiling and making Chris' heart skip a beat.

"You'd be surprised at how wrong that statement is." Chris rubs his temples to help with the pounding headache that keeps getting worse.

"You okay?" the man sympathetically asks.

"Headache," Chris answers, really wanting something to take it away. "Won't go away."

"Do you have anything for it?" the man asks with a kind voice.

"No." Chris shakes his head, instantly regretting it. "I have zilch."

"That's a word I haven't heard in a while." The small laugh the guy emits has Chris smiling at the soft sound, being reminded of the few times he's heard breathtaking music. "You have a place nearby that might have something?"

"I literally just got here. I have no money and no place to stay. So that's out of the question." Chris rubs his temples to dull the pounding in his head. "But I'll figure out something."

"Come on," the man says as he holds out his hand to pull him up. Chris, not questioning it, takes his hand, feeling a spark shoot up his arm at the contact. "You can stay with me."

"But...You don't know me," Chris says stunned.

"I know. But, for some strange reason, I trust you. Besides, I have some pain killers at home to help with your headache."

"Thank you," Chris politely says, ignoring the nagging part of his brain that screams he shouldn't do this unless he wants to get in trouble. "I'm Chris."

"I'm Darren."

---

Darren's place actually ends up being a huge loft a few blocks away.

Cautiously stepping into the loft when Darren slides open the heavy, metal door, Chris takes a few steps in and stands there.

"Home sweet home." Darren turns around and lifts his arms as if showing off his living space, smile on his lips.

"This place is lovely." Chris looks around at the giant open space, four beams around the room. One area of the room sectioned off for the kitchen; a bed that's actually a couple of mattresses set up near a window against a brick wall at one end of the room. A couch in the middle of the living space with an end table and a TV on a TV stand is what makes up the small living room. Big windows surround the room, filling the loft with warmth and light from the sun.

"My old quarters were much smaller than this. And I shared it with a roommate."

"Where do you live?" Darren curiously asks as he drops his bag and heads for a door.

Knowing he can't tell him the truth, Chris just says the first place that comes to mind. "California."

"Really." Darren's excited voice drifts from what Chris guesses to be the bathroom. "I'm from there. San Fran to be exact. I moved here after I finished college a few years back." Chris watches him walk back out, a small bottle in his hand that rattles with pills as he walks. "Why'd you come to New York? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's fine," Chris politely says. He takes the two pills Darren sets in the palm of his hand when he twists the top off the bottle. "I was in need of a change of scenery." Standing there as Darren strides over to the kitchen area, he watches him fill a glass with water for him; taking it when he offers. "I ran away and didn't look back." Chris isn't surprised how easily the lie comes to him. Before, when asked or confronted by people about who he was or where he was from, he learned to easily lie and make up stories that they thought they would want to hear.

Setting the glass on the countertop that is the kitchen area, Chris feels woozy and needs to lie down. Looking around, he sees the couch and turns to Darren. "Do you mind if I sleep for awhile on your couch?"

"You can sleep on the bed," Darren offers instead. "It's more comfortable; and I won't be sitting in it while you try to sleep."

"Thank you." Chris starts to trudge his way to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he unlaces his boots and toes out of them. Where he should feel scared about accepting the hospitality of a complete stranger, he doesn't. Something about Darren stirs something in he's never felt. "Thank you so much, again, for this," he says as he lies back on one of the fluffy pillows, pulling a blanket over himself.

"You're welcome," he hears Darren's reply from across the loft. "I'll try to be quiet."

After that, it doesn't take but seconds for Chris to pass out cold; tired and drained from his travel.

Day two

Waking up in an unfamiliar place has a silent fear starting in on Chris, and is about to get scared when he sees Darren walk out of bathroom drying his hair. Seeing him has him remembering the day before when Darren saved him and offered to let him stay with him.

"You're up," Darren delightedly says, tossing the towel to a pile of dirty clothes. "How do you feel? You were out for quite some time, had me scared there for awhile."

"I'm good," Chris replies with a slightly groggy voice. He's not surprised at sleeping his whole first day away; knowing his body needs the rest to recuperate and recharge after something so draining as traveling. "Sorry about scaring you; I'm usually out cold when I got those headaches. Got scared there for a sec when I woke up in a strange place."

"The bathroom is free if you want to freshen up." Darren hangs the towel over the back of a chair. "I figured you since you had nothing with you, you could borrow some of my clothes and other things."

"Oh," Chris says with a bit of surprise, looking down at himself. He does feel dirty and would like a hot shower and some fresh clothes. "I appreciate that."

Standing up, seeing the stack of clothes Darren set out for him, he grabs a plain shirt and some sweatpants.

Closing the bathroom door behind him, Chris thinks about how lucky he got meeting someone like Darren. Stripping naked and stepping into the shower, Chris savors having the opportunity to do this while here. Most times when he travels, he's left to his own devices. He had to make do with only the clothes on his back and, hopefully, the kindness of others. Sometimes he got lucky in meeting people who would give him some charity. But Darren is the first person he can remember going this far to help him.

Turning off the water and drying off, Chris pulls on the clothes he grabbed and walks out of the bathroom. The smell of food cooking has him stomach growling in hunger. Walking over to where the kitchen area is, he finds Darren scrambling eggs and frying bacon.

"You hungry? It's been quite a few hours since you last ate, I'm guessing," Darren says as he spoons the eggs on to two separate plates, then adding the bacon.

"I'm starved," Chris replies, eager to have some bacon. Sitting at the small table a few feet away, Darren sitting across from him, Chris digs into his food. Taking a big bite of his bacon, he almost dies at the savory goodness. "I haven't had bacon in almost fourteen years."

"Why is that?" Darren curiously asks as he takes a drink of his orange juice.

"Where I previously lived wouldn't allow me."

"That kind of sucks."

"Yeah," Chris sighs, popping the last piece of bacon into his mouth. "But what they don't know won't hurt them."

After breakfast, Chris helps Darren clean and put away the dishes. Sitting on the couch afterwards, he watches the television as a cartoon plays. He hears the buzz of something and sees Darren pick up his cell phone, clicking on the screen and seeing a message from someone.

"Your girlfriend?" he asks even though it's none of his business.

"No," Darren answers as he reads the message and shakes his head. "My friend asking me what I'm doing."

"Do you mind asking me if you are in a relationship? Don't want to have to explain my presence if someone unexpectedly barges in here." Chris is genuinely interested to know if Darren is with someone, and he also kind of wants to know if he's single, and this way he can ask without sounding nosy.

"No," Darren tells him, Chris seeing his face fall the slightest, and wondering what the story is behind that. "Haven't been with anybody in quite some time. What about you?"

"Never had a boyfriend," Chris says, seeing how Darren will react to his being gay. He breathes easy when it has no effect on him at all.

"Why not? You're hot!" Darren clamps his mouth shut after he blurts that out. Chris smiles at the blush that spreads across his cheeks from embarrassment. "Sorry," he apologizes.

"It's okay." Chris grins at knowing that Darren finds him attractive. "But I grew up in a place where something as mundane as being in a relationship before a certain age is not allowed."

"You really amaze me," Darren says astounded as he stares at him, making Chris blush.

For the second time, Chris takes notice of the pull he feels towards Darren; never having felt it before with any other human.

---

"What did you go to college for?" Chris asks as they eat dinner later that night that consists of chicken soup from a bistro a few blocks away as Darren said.

"Acting," Darren responds. "Moved here when I graduated and have been trying to break in the business ever since."

"How do you have money? If you don't mind me asking. I mean you never go to work and you have this place and have bought things."

"I came into some money about a year and half back after my grandpa died. It's enough that I can live without worry about paying bills or eating."

"I'm sorry," Chris softly replies. "About your grandfather, I mean."

"Thanks." Darren genuinely smiles at him, getting a spoonful of his soup. "What about you? Did you go to college?"

"No," Chris shakes his head. For Travelers the only education they received was that of what they got as they grew up. Once they turned eighteen and learned everything they needed to, their education ceased altogether and they were sent on their first travel. "Although, I do love to learn."

"Learning is learning, no matter how it's done."

Chris smiles at Darren's words, thankful that he won't look at him differently just because he didn't go to a college like him. Although, he feels as if he never should have had to worry about Darren looking at him differently for something like that. It seems to Chris that Darren is they type of person to respect anybody no matter their background.

Day Three

Chris sits in the large beanbag chair in what is Darren's living room reading a random book he found on one of the two shelves in the loft. It holds his attention, making him laugh and chuckle at the circumstances he and the main character have in common.

He's about halfway through the book as he sits alone in the empty loft. Earlier that day, Darren had left in need to do run some errands, leaving Chris by himself for a few hours. The quiet of the loft is calming and peaceful as he sits there. He enjoys having the alone time, but for some reason finds himself missing Darren's presence more and more the longer he is gone.

After reading half the book, Chris puts it back where he got it from and decides to look around in some of the things Darren has. He sees a picture of him with whom he guesses to be his parents in a frame on the shelf by the television. He also finds a picture of him with his arm across someone's back that looks like it could be his brother, smiling at how big Darren's grin is in the picture. But when he finds a picture of him with someone who is very cute, the picture a bit to intimate for him, making him wonder if he was right in his guess about Darren, Chris wonders who it could be before putting it back and deciding to watch television.

Turning it on, he stops at a movie showing that looks interesting and waits for Darren to return.

"I brought pizza!" It's the first thing Darren says when he slides the door open, announcing his return when the second movie Chris watches ends.

Chris looks up, feeling his heart skip a beat, and sees Darren standing there with a grin holding a cardboard box. Standing from the beanbag, following Darren to the small table set up to eat, Chris lifts the top of the box and is hit with a smell that has his mouth instantly watering.

"I've never had pizza before." Chris picks a pepperoni off the pizza and pops it into his mouth, actually moaning around the delicious food. Looking up at Darren, he lets out a small laugh at the look of shock on his face. "What?" he asks as he takes the paper plate Darren offers.

"You've never had pizza? How does that happen?" Darren sits in the orange fold out chair across from him, grabbing a slice of pizza.

"I was on a very strict diet growing up." The words are true. Being a Traveler meant being stuck on a diet that didn't allow any leeway. Travelers had to be in perfect health at all times; and that meant a strict diet they followed and a workout routine that left them fit and healthy. Even with his other travels, Chris never wavered from his diet. He stuck with what he was allowed to eat. But this time, with already feeling like this travel is different, Chris decides to have some fun and indulge in the foods he's never had. "But that was then," he says as he grabs a slice of pizza, "and this is now."

Dinner is spent eating, Chris managing to put away five slices of pizza, which absolutely floors Darren. Along with his first pizza, Chris has his first sugary drink, which he automatically falls in love with. Darren and he talk about things, but Chris always finding a way to avoid too personal questions that he doesn't know how to answer. He figures it's easier to just let him know the least amount about himself; answering just enough questions about himself to keep Darren satisfied.

About twenty minutes after finishing his food, Chris grumbles as he rubs his belly and lies on the couch, really regretting that last slice of pizza. "I think I'm dying," he groans as Darren sits in the beanbag chair across from him chuckling. Although he feels as if he stomach might explode, he still has the energy to jump around everywhere and on everything. He figures that's the effects of having his first sugary beverage.

"You're not dying. You're just experiencing too much food intake at the moment."

"I want to die," Chris groans, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"Just try not to think about it," Darren says as he stands up and walks over to him, pushing a strand of his hair back from his face as he kneels down to be eyelevel with him.

The look Chris sees that enters his eyes as he does that has an urge to have Darren's lips on his surge up in him. It's not the first time he can remember wanting another male to kiss him, but it's the first time he's wanted to act on those urges. He wonders how Darren's lips would feel on his as their mouths moved together; how soft his lips are, and if he can work his mouth as well as he does when he talks.

Staring at Darren, Chris can see in his eyes that he has the same thoughts going through his mind, and it has the urge to be kissed grow even stronger.

This pull he feels towards Darren is growing stronger, and it sort of terrifies him to think about where it could lead him.

"Yeah," Darren says with baited breath, moving away from him. "Just wait awhile and it should be better."

"Thank you," he softly whispers.

Day Four

"I think I'm gonna go walk around New York for a few hours." It's the first thing he tells Darren when he comes out of the bathroom after taking a shower and finds him watching cartoons as he sits up on the couch.

After falling asleep on the couch the night before, but waking up in Darren's bed, Chris easily figured Darren picked him and carried him to bed. With that knowledge, knowing Darren carried him in his arms, Chris blushes every time the thought enters his mind. When he woke up, he found Darren asleep on the couch. Staring at the rise and fall of his chest for a few minutes, he realized how weird it would be for Darren to wake up and find him watching him sleep, so he decided to take a shower.

"That's great," Darren says as he stands up and heads for the bathroom. "I have some things to do, or otherwise I would show you around myself."

"That's okay. I can manage on my own."

Darren smiles at him before closing the bathroom door with a soft click.

Chris feels his heart pick up its pace for a few seconds with that simple smile. It has him covering his chest with his hand and thinking about how Darren can so easily affect him like he does.

---

He trudges over to the beanbag chair and plops down into it, kicking off his boots. Feet tired from walking, he leans back in the beanbag chair and stares out the window behind him. The stars in the sky are barely discernible as the sun fades away; the moon starting to glow in the darkness that is slowly taking over the sky.

Turns out New York City isn't as much fun by himself as he thought it would be. He still had a great time, but he wished it could have been better with Darren there to show him around.

"Hey," Darren happily calls as he walks into the loft, removing his coat. "How did New York City treat ya?"

Chris watches for a few seconds as Darren goes to the fridge and stands there staring at what's inside. He stares at his body as the shirt he wears perfectly fits to every curve and hard muscle he has of his torso; his jeans slightly loose as they hang off his hips, but still tight enough for Chris to dart his eyes to his ass, biting his lower lip and blushing when he does. "It was nice," he finally responds after realizing Darren asked him a question. "I get why people come here to live. It's very...alive."

"Yeah," Darren says as he grabs a bottle of water and turns to him, twisting the cap as he smiles. "I can understand that. Did you have fun like you hoped?"

"Some," Chris says with a shrug of his shoulders. "It was too…busy for my liking."

"To bad I wasn't with you." Darren sets the bottle of water on the kitchen counter behind him.

"So," Chris says as he sits at the orange chair at the table. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"My friends actually invited me to go out tonight. I was thinking we could go and have some fun. You up for it?"

Chris' normal idea of fun when he's at the Infinity is working out or reading or doing some other thing that the Committee deems their version of fun for the Travelers. But being here now without them looking over him to tell him it's wrong, Chris is choosing to have some fun and see what a Darren calls fun in New York at night. "Yes," he happily agrees.

---

The bar is filled with people when they walk in later that night; mainly young people his and Darren's age having fun as they drink and fraternize with others. The smell of beer and cigarette smoke and fried food fills the air, and somehow that has Chris smiling.

It's a first for him. Bars are strictly off-limits when it comes to traveling. Told to never go into one, he listened like he was supposed to. But now he wonders why. The life that fills the bar; the people and sounds and smells has Chris giddy with the anticipation of what this night will bring.

Standing there next to Darren, staring in delighted amazement at all the activity going on around him; the bartender taking and pouring drinks, the people dancing, a few young men debating over which quarterback is better in the NFL, some girls cheering as they do shots, and Chris loves it all. He loves how much this place makes him forget everything and want to be that twenty-three year old he is. It's as he stands there, though, that he startles at Darren sliding his hand in his.

The touch is simple, but then not. It's a simple touch of hands; skin on skin. He's been touched before. But this is the first time a touch is coming from someone he likes. It makes his heart slow and his mind race at how something so simple can be so intimate at the same time.

"Come on," Darren says as he starts to walk, pulling him along. "I see my friends."

Going with Darren, Chris sees the group of people occupying the table they are headed towards.

"Chris," Darren excitedly says when they stop at the table. "These are my buddies. This is Maggie, Deacon, Liam, Cassi, and Alexandria." Darren points to person as he gives their name, each of them giving a small wave. "Guys, this is Chris."

"Hello," Chris says with a slightly squeaky voice, nervous about meeting more new people, but mainly Darren's friends not liking him. "It's nice to meet all of you."

Chris gets a mixture of hellos from everybody. A hand at his wrist tugs him, making him have to let go of Darren's hand. He ends up in a seat next to Darren introduced as Alexandria. She's pretty. Long, wavy brown hair frames her face, her eyes a deep green that shine with joy, a smile that is inviting on her lips, and Chris instantly feels as if he could be friends with her. "Alexandria, right?" he asks to be sure.

"Call me Alex. Darren said that because he knows I hate my full name."

"Okay." Chris smiles at her.

"So," she says with a soft and lovely voice. "How'd you meet Darren?"

"Oh. He, uh...um, he saved my life."

"What?!" Alex loudly exclaims, drawing the attention of everybody at the table. "I think everybody at this table needs to hear that story."

Chris recounts the story of how Darren saved him from an oncoming car, pushing him out of the way. All his friends drawing in shocked breaths and looking surprised as he talks, and Darren sitting there smiling at him. He tells him how Darren was kind enough to let him stay with him since he has no money to stay anywhere else.

"Darren, you're a hero!" the guy, Liam, Chris thinks, exclaims.

"No, I'm not. Chris was emphasizing in some areas to make me seem cooler."

"Don't listen to him," Chris says, nudging Darren's leg under the table in a playful manner. "Everything I said was all true in how it happened."

Staying at the table when everybody goes to order drinks, Chris looks to Alex as she continues to sit next to him and smiles. "How long have you and Darren been friends?" he asks to make conversation.

"Since he moved here after college. I helped him find the loft he lives at," Alex answers, tossing her hair behind her shoulder; when she does that, Chris gets a glimpse of a tattoo on the underside of her wrist and holds back his laugh. "He likes you," Alex says, catching him off-guard.

"What? How do you know that?"

"I saw how he looked at you." Alex arches an eyebrow and grins. "He looked at you in a way I've only seen him look at people he likes. I haven't seen that look in a long time."

"Why? What happened?" Chris curiously asks.

"His ex, from about a year and half ago, cheated on him with somebody we all thought was a friend."

"That's terrible," Chris comments, wondering how anybody could cheat on someone as great as Darren. He may only know him for four days, so far, but he can already tell Darren is one of the nicest people he has ever met in any time. It makes him wonder if the picture he saw a few days ago was that of Darren and his now ex. "What did y'all do?"

"We told Darren to move on and forget Kyle, our friend that slept with Darren's ex. The rest of us turned our backs on him. It hurt, but we couldn't look at him the same after he did what he did to Darren." Alex shrugs her shoulders as if saying it is what it is. "But Darren has gotten over that and him. I'm glad to see him looking at you the way he does. It means he's fully moved on and ready to have a fun again."

"Fun in the sense of dating?" Chris asks.

"Yeah," Alex responds, nodding her head. "And when I say dating, I mean you."

Right before Chris can say anything further, Darren and the other guys come back to the table with drinks. Taking the bottle of beer Darren hands him, Chris is weary if he should drink it, not sure if he has any sort of tolerance level to alcohol. Bringing it up to his lips, he takes a small sip and almost spits it out everywhere.

"You okay?" Darren asks as he gently pats him on the back when he starts to cough.

"Yeah," Chris says with a scratchy voice. "Never had alcohol before."

The combined looks he gets from everybody, except Darren, makes him laugh. "I should tell you that Chris is unlike anybody you guys have ever met," Darren says as he rubs his back, making a heat start in Chris' belly that he's never felt before at the touch.

"I grew up in a very strict…family, I guess you could say," Chris explains, pushing the bottle away from him.

"Dude," Deacon says with hint of surprise in his voice. "You should be going wild, then. Get drunk for the first time." He pushes the bottle back to him, Chris shaking his head no.

"No, thanks," Chris says as he just lets the bottle sit there. "I'm fine." Watching Darren get up and walk away, he wonders where he's going and what he's going to do.

"So, this family," Deacon says, using air quotes around the word family. "Was it a cult? You can be honest, we won't judge."

"Deac!" Cassi yells, swatting his shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Chris. He's just being stupid."

"What!" Deacon says as if he did nothing wrong. "Just being curious."

"No," Cassi tells him with a bit of tone to her voice. "You were being nosy when you don't need to be."

Laughing at what's going on around him, quickly deciding he enjoys Darren's friends, Chris is surprised when a glass of Coke is set down in front of him. Looking over his shoulder, he sees Darren grinning at him before taking his seat again. "Thanks," he tells him, beaming at him for doing something so sweet.

"I knew you would want something sweet to drink." Darren looks at him in a way that makes him hot all over.

He feels someone nudge his foot, and looking over, he sees Alex grinning at him. "I told you I was right," she proudly says at being right.

"Right about what?" Darren and Deacon asks at the same time.

"That's none of your business," Alex replies. "It's between me and my new best friend."

Chris smiles at her words.

The rest of the night is spent laughing and having copious amounts of fun. Chris learns a few things about Darren from the stories his friends tell, laughing so hard he cries when they tell him about the time Darren somehow ended a night in only underwear and was trying to get a cab to take him home. Darren defends he was wasted and doesn't remember any of that happening. Alex says she was the one to go and pick him up, Liam in the passenger seat, and verifies that it actually did happen, and that Darren looked hilarious as he stood on the sidewalk looking like a lost dog.

At one point, Chris finds himself standing next to Cassi as she teaches him how to play darts. He watches her toss the dart and hit perfectly in the bullseye every time. When he tries, he finds out he isn't much for hitting the bullseye, or even getting the dart on the board.

By the end of the night, Chris watches, and laughs, as everybody stumbles out of the bar drunk and ready to go home.

"Let's go get something to eat!" Liam exclaims as they stand outside the bar.

"No," Darren quickly replies, only slightly buzzed. Chris is thankful that he isn't too drunk like he was that night in the story Alex and Liam told. "You eat and you'll hate yourself in the morning when you're puking your guts out."

"Party pooper," Liam slurs as he starts to walk away with Cassi and Deacon.

"Bye guys!" Alex yells when they get half-way down the sidewalk from them. "I guess I should probably go home as well," she says, sounding like she just didn't spend half the night out with her friends.

"Will you be okay?" Chris worriedly asks, ready to walk her home.

"Don't worry about her, Chris," Darren tells him. "She has a black belt in taekwando. It's the other person who tries to mess with her that you should worry about."

"Yeah," Alex says with a grin. "I might be slightly drunk, but I can still break somebody's nose or arm. Maybe more. I also have pepper spray."

"Okay," Chris says, figuring Alex is safe to leave by herself. "It was great meeting you."

"You too." Alex takes him into a tight, bear hug, squeezing him hard and long.

Chris smiles at the friendly embrace, but happy when she finally lets go, feeling a slight ache after she does.

"Bye, Darren," she says as he she moves to hug him as well. "I like him. You should bring around more."

"Okay, Alex," Darren laughs, hugging her. "Bye."

Watching Alex walk across the street and down the other way they are going, Chris waves to her one final time before Darren and him start to walk the few blocks to the loft.

"I had fun," Chris says as they walk. "Your friends are great."

"Yeah," Darren exhales, smiling. "I'm glad they liked you. Although, I'm pretty sure everybody would like you."

Chris isn't sure if it's more of a general comment about him, or if Darren is trying to admit something with the words. But not wanting to make a fool of himself, he doesn't question him about it further, instead just deciding to move on to a different subject. "Is it always this hot in New York?" he asks.

"It's almost the middle of July," Darren says in way of explanation. "It's hot all day."

Stopping when Darren does on a corner, but not crossing, he feels his heart flutter when Darren turns him to look at him.

"I meant what I just said," Darren tells him as he grabs at his hip and pulls him closer. "Everyone that would meet you would like you. I like you as more than just the friends we've quickly become." Chris sees as Darren's eyes dart to his mouth, licking his lips; and it's then that he wants Darren to kiss him. To give him the type of kiss he's longed thought about: his first kiss.

Chris always wondered what his first kiss would be like. Would it be with someone the Committee paired him with? Would it be a stolen kiss with a boy he knew or met on one of his travels? Would he like it? What would it make him feel? Would it be like he imagined and saw?

This is his first real kiss, and it leaves him weak at the knees and short of breath. This kiss exceeds all his expectations in what he thought it would be like. The firm, but soft, press of Darren's lips to his is electric and pulse pounding. It somehow manages to make his heart stop and beat faster at the same time.

The slow drag of Darren's tongue along the seam of his mouth has him parting his lips. Letting out a small gasp when Darren gently pushes his tongue into his mouth, he lets himself get lost in the feeling of Darren's tongue massaging against his. When Darren tips his head back, he opens his mouth more and decides to thrust his tongue into Darren's mouth, smiling when Darren lets out a small moan. This kiss is the kind of kiss he's read about where people said they wished it was never-ending; he wants it to go on forever. He wants to kiss Darren for the remainder of the time he is here, and thinks about how that isn't a bad plan at all.

Being here in this moment, with Darren giving him the kind of kiss he could have only dreamed of, Chris feels happiness and the stirring of something he is afraid to fully acknowledge at the moment. The pull he felt toward Darren before is stronger than ever as he kisses him; feels as if it ties him to Darren here in this moment as they share this kiss.

Pulling in a deep breath when Darren breaks the kiss, opening his eyes, Chris can feel his heart hammering in his chest and lips tingle where Darren's lips were pressed. Lips turning up into a smile, wanting to kiss Darren again, Chris is confused when Darren takes a step back from him with a look of regret on his face.

"I'm sorry," Darren apologizes. "I shouldn't have done that. I should have asked or something."

"It's okay. I enjoyed it," Chris reassures him, tentatively taking a step towards him. "You don't have to feel bad about doing it. I actually wanted you to."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That makes me feel better." Darren lets out a deep breath he was holding; Chris seeing relief wash over him. "I just didn't want you thinking you owed me anything; that you felt obligated to kiss me because I'm helping you out."

"I feel far from obligated to do anything. You don't make me feel that way. That kiss happened because we both wanted it."

"Yeah," Darren sighs. "I glad it happened, then."

"Good."

"Good," Darren repeats.

Continuing to walk back to the loft, Chris smiles as Darren takes his hand again, feeling a jolt go up his arm at the contact. Having his hand held by Darren is something he wouldn't mind happening more often while he is here.

Day five

The headache he has when he wakes is not as terrible as the one he got when he traveled here.

Sitting up, and feeling the drag of someone's arm across his stomach, has him frightened until he looks over and sees Darren still asleep. Seeing him makes him think about the night before. He can remember of having a great time with Darren and his friends. But when he thinks about what happened shortly after Darren and he left the bar, has a smile appearing on his face.

The kiss still feels fresh in his mind; the way Darren's mouth fit to his, how his tongue felt massaging against his, and how he felt like he was experiencing something amazing. It has him wanting to kiss Darren again and again and again.

But when he thinks about what Alex told him about what happened with Darren's ex, he isn't sure he can start something with him knowing it would never last beyond when he is here. He can't be with Darren knowing that he will be worse than the ex he had; not because he would cheat, but because he would leave without any sort of an explanation.

Standing up and walking to the bathroom, grabbing a few pills for his headache, he strips naked and takes a quick shower. The water fully wakes him up. Stepping out of the shower and drying off, pulling on some sweatpants, he brushes his teeth and lets his mind drift to the kiss once again. He can't help the smile that spreads across his face as he daydreams, only coming out of it when he hears his stomach grumble for food.

Walking out of the bathroom, seeing Darren sitting up in bed rubbing his eyes, he makes the choice right then not to let anything more happen. He loved the kiss, but he can't let it progress from there; afraid of hurting Darren when he doesn't deserve it.

"Why am I in bed?" Darren groans as he throws his legs over the side of the bed.

"You were sleeping," Chris jokes, knowing that's not what he was referring to. "But last night you came and slept with me in bed."

"I'm sorry," Darren apologizes, voice groggy with sleep.

"It's fine. Nothing happened."

"Good. I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with." Darren stands up and stretches his arms above his head, letting out a big yawn. "I'm taking a shower, and then I'm telling you what we're doing today."

"Should I be scared?" Chris questions.

"No, you'll enjoy it."

---

"The Empire State Building!" Darren yells in a playful tone once they stop in front of the building.

Chris drops his head back and stares up at the impossibly tall building.

It seemed Darren's idea of doing something involved taking him out to explore the New York he knows and loves.

It's structures of new, like this building, and structures of old (like the Pyramids or the Coliseum) that always fascinate Chris. To know that man could make something so grand amazes and surprises him. It makes him amazed at what man can accomplish.

He's seen pictures of this particular building, but this is the first time he's seeing it in person; and he can't think of a better person to show him.

"How is this New York?" Chris asks when looks to Darren, and finding him staring at him in a way that makes him blush.

"This is classic New York," Darren says. "When people think of New York, this building is one of the places that comes to mind. Come on. I'll show you why people come here."

Chris feels another crack in his armor when Darren takes his hand again and starts to walk towards the revolving doors. A few minutes later, Chris finds himself riding an elevator up, wondering how high Darren is choosing to take him.

"Close your eyes and walk with me," Darren whispers into his ear a few moments later.

Doing just that, Chris follows Darren when the elevator chimes and he hears the doors open. The feel of air hitting his skin is immediate the second they walk out of outside a few steps later. Holding tight to Darren's hand, Chris really hopes they aren't as high up as he believes them to be.

"Okay," Darren murmurs. "Open your eyes."

Opening his eyes, Chris immediately starts to get scared.

Throwing himself into Darren's arms, and clinging to him for dear life, body wracked with shakes, Chris holds on and never wants to let go. Perhaps telling Darren that he is afraid of heights should have been a good thing.

"You okay?" Darren worriedly asks, holding him close.

"Scared of heights," Chris softly replies. He looks out once more and decides that's not the best of ideas and buries his face in the crook of Darren's neck once again.

"Shit, Chris. You should have told me."

"Didn't want to ruin this and make you mad." Chris feels as Darren soothingly strokes his thumb over his lower back.

"Chris, if you didn't want to come up here, you could have told me. I wouldn't have gotten mad."

"Sorry," Chris mumbles, not knowing what else to say.

"We can do something else, then." Darren continues to soothingly stroke his thumb over his lower back, the sensation calming Chris down. "We can go to the zoo or Central Park or a museum. Whatever you want."

"I've never been to a zoo before," Chris mumbles against Darren's neck, feeling Darren's hand still.

"How have you never been to a zoo before?"

"Wasn't considered important or needed when I was growing up." Of course, Chris doesn't add that zoos in the future pretty much are nonexistent. After the virus outbreak, caring more for the humans became top priority, and the animals where released to fend for themselves in the wild. After everything finally calmed down, the Government thought it best to keep everything as it was, and focus on the humans.

"Do you want to go to the zoo?" Darren whispers into his ear.

Presented with the opportunity, he's going to jump at the chance. "Yes," he replies as he final steps back.

"It's off to the zoo we go, then."

Once again, Chris finds himself smiling at Darren taking his hand.

---

"I think she liked you," Chris laughs as they walk into Darren's loft.

"I didn't know getting sprayed with water constitutes liking."

Their trip to the zoo exceeded his expectations of fun. Seeing all those animals in their enclosures had him feeling like giddy little kid who couldn't get enough. But when it came time to see the elephants, both of them were surprised when one of the elephants, Gloria, took upon herself to soak Darren in water.

"Then she was having fun with you," Chris chuckles, seeing Darren grin.

Standing there, he loudly gulps when Darren strips out of his soaked shirt. He's seen men without shirts before. Hell, Lucas takes it upon himself to only wear their assigned cotton pants when he goes to sleep. But seeing Darren in nothing but jeans that cling to his legs, and his bare chest spattered with water droplets, Chris has and urge to touch greater than he's ever known.

He wants to know what it's like to feel Darren's lean muscles under his fingertips; how they would look as Darren moved on top of him in a way no other person has before. And that thought has Chris closing his eyes and imaging how it would feel to let Darren do things he's never experienced; how it feel to be touched in such an intimate way.

He knows with being a Traveler means he can't be involved with a person from any time in any way. Any sort of intimate contact is refused. But he doesn't care about that; he doesn't care about breaking the rules. Besides, some rules are meant to be broken.

"I'm going to shower; get the smell off me." Darren walks to the bathroom and closes the door.

Opening his eyes, Chris lets out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

It seems, for the first time in his life, he wants to break all the rules that come with being a Traveler.

Day six

"What are you doing?" Chris asks when he sees Darren stuffing a bag with the pile of dirty clothes.

So far in the day, they haven't done much but eat breakfast and watch a show on television that has Chris wondering what any human could find interesting about it. But somehow, he found himself glued to the screen unable to look away from the obvious train wreck of the people starring in the show.

"Laundry. Same day every month."

"Where you going?"

"Laundromat a few blocks over," Darren responds, hefting the bag over his shoulder. "Want to join me?"

"Sure." Chris smiles and pulls on his shoes, following Darren out of the loft.

Fifteen minutes later Chris finds himself sitting on top of a broken washer as he watches Darren sort his clothes. "You know I've never washed my own clothes," Chris says as he fans himself with a piece of paper.

The summer heat is stifling and beats down on everything. The doors to the laundromat are wide open letting in a cool draft that blows every few minutes; a ratty, old fan mounted in the corner of a wall whirls its blades, obviously more for show than anything since it contributes no cool air. Chris can hear music coming from a radio somewhere, a song that's too fast for him to make out the words.

Although he wears aviators, Chris knows that Darren's eyes are wide with his confession. His mouth is slightly hanging open, and a crumpled up green shirt is in one hand that he was about to toss in an open washer next to Chris.

"You think I'm weird, don't you?" Chris asks with a small laugh.

"Not weird," Darren says as he tosses the shirt into the washer. "Just very...different. I've never met anyone like you."

"Hopefully that's a good thing."

"It is," Darren replies with a smirk that makes Chris hotter than he already is.

Continuing to sit on top of the washing machine fanning himself, Chris watches as Darren puts quarters into the three machines he's using and pushes the handle in. Chris slightly jumps when the machine next to him suddenly whirs to life, filling the space with more noise of machines working.

"Come on," Darren says as he grabs Chris' hand and tugs him down. "Let's go get something cold."

"What about your clothes?" Chris asks confusedly as he follows Darren out of the laundromat.

"No one will touch them."

Walking across the street to a small store, the cool blast hitting them the second they walk in cools off Chris immensely. Going to where the cold drinks are, Chris grabs a bottle of Big Red, making it his mission to try as many flavors of coke while he's here. Smiling at Darren through the frosty glass when he sees him with a bottle of cold water and Coke, he keeps his eyes on him even when Darren turns back to the drinks. His aviators sit on the bridge of his nose, his shirt clings to his body from sweating, his shorts hanging loose off his hips, and Chris is pretty sure he has never seen a more stunning sight. Closing the door and following Darren, the clacking of his flip-flops against the floor is the only thing Chris pays attention to, liking the sound of the shoe makes when it meets the floor.

"You want an ice cream? I'm getting one," Darren tells him as he stops and slides open the door of a freezer filled with various types of ice cream.

Looking inside, Chris decides on a cherry flavored popsicle that sounds appetizing. Setting their stuff down near the register, Chris feels a wave of guilt when he sees Darren pull out his wallet to pay for their items.

"I feel terrible about you paying for me," Chris says as they walk back across the street to the laundromat. Ripping open the plastic of his ice cream, he practically moans as the sweet treat hits his tongue.

"It's nothing." Darren waves it off, finding no problem with the situation.

"I'll figure out something to pay you back," Chris tells him although he has no clue how he's going to do that once he leaves. He smiles when Darren just waves him off again.

Hopping back on top of the broken washer machine, Chris eats his popsicle as he stares at Darren seated in a plastic blue chair across from him. There's nothing to think about for a few moments until Chris realizes that Darren has stopped eating his ice cream, causing it to melt to the floor. Instead, his eyes remained glued on him as he innocently goes about eating his popsicle. He doesn't know why Darren is staring; feeling himself blush under the gaze, and thinking there's more to this than just him eating his ice cream.

"You're melting on the floor," he says as he licks his lips, tasting the cherry flavor on them. He quietly giggles when Darren realizes what he was told and jumps up, going to throw away his wasted ice cream. "What were you staring at?" Chris asks as he wraps his lips around his popsicle and sucks, completely oblivious to what the action stirs inside Darren.

"You," Darren admits with a snort, as if it should be obvious. "You manage to make eating a melting popsicle look so fucking sexy."

Grinning at the words, Chris steps off the machine at throws away the last of his popsicle, cleaning his hands with a napkin. Turning around, he's surprised when he finds Darren right there in his space with a hunger in his eyes that makes him short of breath.

"Can I kiss you?" Darren breathes out.

"Yes." No sooner than the word has left Chris' mouth does he feel lips crashing to his.

It's the first kiss they've shared since leaving the bar a few nights before, and Chris wonders why the hell they haven't been doing this nonstop since then.

He knows he said he wouldn't do anything more after that first kiss. He knows he shouldn't start something that can only end badly. But he can't stop himself. He can't stop the feeling of how right this feels as Darren kisses him, how much he needs this to feel alive and free. This kiss makes him feel how he could be if he was born in this time and he had no worries of the Committee and being a Traveler. This kiss makes him feel like the Chris he's wished he could be for years: free and living the life he's longed dreamed of having.

So taking what Darren's offers, and giving back in kind, he deepens the kiss. He parts his lips and welcomes the thrust of Darren's tongue into his mouth, moaning at how that makes a chill run up his spine in the best way possible. He grips Darren's hips and feels as his body responds to Darren's kiss, wondering how long they can do this before coming up for air.

"I've wanted to do that since the first time," Darren pants out when he finally pulls away, happiness filling his eyes.

"You can do it anytime you wish," Chris says, still feeling slightly lightheaded from the whirlwind kiss.

"I will then." Darren brushes his thumb along Chris' bottom lip, eyes trained on his mouth. "You tasted like cherries."

Chris lets out a laugh at that, not expecting for that to be what Darren would say as he stared. But he finds it cute and endearing in only a way Darren can make it. Leaning forward and kissing him, Chris almost feels a normalcy to what is happening.

But he knows. He knows not everything good last forever. But maybe his time with Darren here could be a piece of forever that he craves, that he'll take whatever he can get.

Day seven

Chris walks alongside Darren as he pushes a cart and grabs items and drops them inside.

"You're not really buying anything to make food," Chris points out as Darren grabs a few frozen dinners and drops them in the cart.

"I think you should have figured out by now that me and cooking only have so much of a relationship," Darren says with a small laugh. "I can cook a few things, but beyond that I rely on what I can buy."

Chris laughs along with him, watching him grab a carton of ice cream and drop it in the cart.

As they walk down the produce aisle, Chris grabs a bundle of grapes and places them in the cart. He looks at Darren as he goes over the apples. Darren turns to him, and when he gives him something as simple as a wink with an easy smile has him feeling all his armor falling away and falling for the guy a few feet in front of him.

Seven days. That's all it takes for Chris to fall in love with Darren. Seven days. And the fact that the realization comes to him while they do something as mundane as shopping makes him laugh.

---

Placing the grocery bags on the counter in the kitchen when they get back to the loft, Chris goes to sit down in the beanbag chair to think.

Staring out the window as he hears the rustle of the plastic bags as Darren puts away the food he bought, Chris thinks about the consequences of what it means that he has fallen in love with Darren. He knows this changes everything for him. To love a human from another time is never good. It will always end terrible for the Traveler, and the human if the feelings are returned.

Besides falling in love, Chris questions if he should tell Darren the truth about who and what he is. Should he tell him that he won't be born for over another millennia and half, that he can travel to any time possible, or that where he comes from is so different from when he is now. Does he reveal to Darren about how he is life is like living under a microscope; feeling constantly watched and unable to do anything without someone telling him shouldn't or that he's doing it wrong.

Being a Traveler in love with a human from the past brings so many complications that Chris couldn't have foretold happening.

But even with those complications, Chris will take those any day and cherish the fact that he's fallen in love. He's fallen in love with someone who makes him feel so normal that he's forgotten that he isn't like the other people he sees. Darren makes him feel like the normal person he's wanted to be since he was eight and learned that his life was no longer his; that his life now belonged to people who saw fit to control him just because of a gene he carried.

To put it simple, Chris isn't surprised how easy, and fast, it was to fall in love with Darren. He fell in love with a man who made him happier than any other person he's ever known in any time.

Making the choice to tell Darren, he takes a deep breath and stands up. Walking over to him as he still stands in the small kitchen, drinking some water, Chris feels his heart soar at the mere sight of him and knows he is doing the right thing in telling him. Going up to him and wrapping his arms around Darren's waist, taking comfort when Darren subsequently wraps his arms around him, Chris breathes for a few seconds and decides to just take the leap.

"Darren," Chris whispers as Darren holds him close. "I have to tell you something."

Chris knows it's against the rules. He knows the Committee will find out when he returns and severely punish him. But he doesn't care. He's in love with the man in his arms. The truth is something he thinks Darren deserves.

"What?" The way Darren looks at him; with eyes that make his heart skip a beat.

"I'm not crazy when I tell you this." Taking a deep breath, Chris knows he can do this. Closing his eyes, Chris thinks about everything he's giving up by telling Darren this. He pictures his friend Lucas and Dianna and the fallout from the Committee. But then he pictures everything he's already lost. He sees his parents as they stood by unable to stop him from being taken; he sees a life taken from him and his chance at being free. So, he's going to do this. He's breaking another rule. Opening his eyes, he stares into hazel eyes that seem to stare deep into him, as if seeing everything he tried to hide from everybody. "I'm not from here."

"I know," Darren says with a small laugh. "You told me you were from California."

Chris shakes his head. "No. I'm not from California."

"Where you from, then?" Darren cocks his head to the side with a confused look on his face.

"More like when I'm from."

"I'm sorry, but you lost me with that. I'm confused." Darren takes a step back, placing his hands on his hips. "What are you trying to say? That you're from another time?"

"Yes," Chris replies with a nod of his head, seeing the shock on Darren's face.

"So...So, does that mean you're a time traveler?"

"Yes. What I am is a Traveler."

"A...A Traveler?"

"Yes. It means I can go to any time. In my time, Travelers are a select few people that are used to be sent back to determined times by a group of people called the Committee. I've been under their rule since I was ten; my life is theirs to control."

"You…You're a…time traveler?" Darren asks again. Chris can see Darren is having difficulty accepting what is being said to him; difficulty grasping the truth as it's being told.

"Yes."

"Can you prove it?"

"I...I don't know what I can do." Chris closes his eyes and covers his face with his hands, taking deep breaths. Wracking his brain for something, anything, to prove the truth to Darren, he finally remembers something that should be happening. "What's the date today?" he asks when he drops his hands and opens his eyes.

"The thirteenth. Why?"

Chris takes a deep breath before telling Darren what he knows. He tells him what will be happening in mere hours. When he finishes, he looks at Darren with a hope he'll believe him. "You wanted proof," he weakly says, eyes down and staring at the floor.

"And if it doesn't happen?" Darren questions, a look of hope in his eyes that maybe Chris is lying.

"It will happen." Chris shuffles to the couch, ready for the backlash from Darren. But when Darren sits next to him and takes his hand and squeezes it, he knows Darren doesn't entirely believe him. He feels his heart break, not over Darren not believing him, but over that fact that Darren will be faced with the truth of what Chris is and what he told him will happen in a few hours.

Chris knows there is no going back now. There's no going back to just being the Chris he was pretending to be from California. But he knows he is ready to be there for Darren when he comes to him with the questions he will have.

Day eight

He's not surprised when he wakes up to an empty bed and an empty loft.

With the silence of the loft comes the knowledge that Darren has learned what happened. He knows he probably left for some time to register what this means for him.

Climbing out of the bed, he pads over to the bathroom, stripping naked and taking a long, hot shower. The water hitting his skin and running down his body helps to clear his mind and think about what he will have to tell Darren. When he finally steps out of the bathroom in a loose cotton shirt and sweatpants, he pours a bowl of cereal and sits at the small table eating his breakfast.

He really doesn't eat, picking out the red Fruit Loops and snacking on them, not feeling up for eating much. His stomach is in knots over what Darren could be doing, and how he could feel towards him now. Pushing his bowl away only after a few bites, he stands up and paces the living room, waiting for the sound of the heavy door sliding open.

Waiting for Darren to return, he begins to wonder how he will react to him now that he knows everything he told him was the truth.

"Why didn't you do something to stop it?" It's the first thing Darren tells him when he slides open his door and walks into the loft an hour later.

Chris sits on the couch with his knees to his chest and hands under his feet. When he told Darren what would happen, he knew that would be one of the first questions he'd ask.

"It's not my job to stop it," he softly replies. "I'm not here to save people. And that might sound cruel and unforgivable, but it's true. I'm not a hero sent back to make the big rescue."

"I don't...But you...You could have done something, anything, to save those people."

"Maybe." Chris weakly shrugs his shoulders, lying his cheek on his knees and looking out the window, hiding the tears that fall from his eyes. To know something terrible is going to happen, and having to sit idly by and unable to stop it completely wrecks and kills him. It makes him feel like a villain responsible for the unfolding of terror that occurs. "But who would believe a person that technically doesn't even exist yet? They would have called me crazy and delusional and all these other things." Chris lifts his head and looks to Darren. "You think I enjoy knowing all this and not being able to stop it. I've seen worse than what happened today, and it kills me every time to know if I had just done something all these people would have lived. I hate knowing about all these horrific events. I hate seeing them unfold and learning about the people I could have saved. It makes me hate what I am and what I know."

Chris looks up at Darren when he moves to stand in front of him. Staring into his eyes when he kneels down, Chris trembles at the touch of his thumb wiping away the tears on his cheek. "I can't begin to know how this feels for you," he softly says, giving him a small smile. "But I want you to know I don't blame you or think less of you for doing nothing."

At those words, Chris throws himself into Darren's arms, knocking him to sit on the floor; he wraps his arms tightly around Darren's neck and buries his face in the crook of his neck. Cries wrack his body as he holds Darren close, needing to know he's there. "I'm so sorry," he mumbles, not understanding why he needs to apologize for something he didn't do.

"It's not your fault," Darren softly whispers into his ear. "You didn't cause this."

"Do you forgive me?" Chris manages to get out through his sobs.

"Forgive you for what?" Darren asks slightly confused.

"For changing everything you knew. I come to this time and meet you and tell you these things that turn your world upside down."

"That's nothing to feel sorry for," Darren whispers. "If you ask me, I think it's pretty neat what you're able to do. I would give anything to travel the whole of time."

"If you lived like I'm forced to; had to follow the rules of the Committee, you wouldn't be saying that."

"You've mentioned this Committee before now. Can I ask who they are?"

"I'll explain everything over dinner tonight." Chris lifts his head and looks into Darren's eyes. "Is that fine?"

"Yes," Darren smiles, "that's fine."

---

They sit across from each other at the small table. Plates of spaghetti sit in front of them. Chris twirls a few noodles on his fork and eats, enjoying the sauce that covers the noodles.

"You can start asking any time you want," he says as he chews, grabbing his glass of Coke and taking a drink.

"The Committee, who are they?"

"A group of about twenty people that control all Travelers. They decide when we go to. They also decide our punishments if we ever step out of line in any way." Chris twirls more noodles around his fork, watching as Darren doesn't touch his food.

"How long have you've been doing this?" Darren ask, reaching for his own glass of Coke, taking a sip.

"In our time, children are tested to see if they carry the gene to be a Traveler at the age of eight. If found, we are taken from our families at the age of ten and sent to live in the Infinity. We are trained and instructed to learn about all significant events in time. At eighteen we are sent on our first travel. I've been doing this for five years. This is my forty-eighth travel."

"Why? What's the point of sending you back?"

"I have no clue," Chris replies, dropping his fork to his plate, hearing it hit with a clatter on the porcelain. "Some used to believe it was to maybe find a cure for the virus that spread, but nothing ever came of that."

"What virus?"

It's then that Chris realizes he let slip about the deadly outbreak. He never intended to tell Darren about that, but seeing as he's already let the cat out of the bag, he'll just go ahead and tell him everything. "In the year 2852 a virus spread and killed billions of the human population. No one knows exactly what caused it, but it was terrible. After time travel was discovered a little over two hundred years later, the Committee first used it to stop the virus from happening. But since no one knew what exactly caused it, they could do nothing to prevent it." Chris stares at Darren as he tells him everything, seeing his eyes fill with grief and shock and worry at what he's being told. "Guess I don't have any nice stories to tell."

"That's fine," Darren says with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "I wanted answers. I guess I just wasn't ready for the truth the answers would bring."

"We don't have to talk about it anymore." Chris reaches across the table and takes Darren's hand, glad when he doesn't pull away. "Let's talk about something else."

"Okay," Darren quietly replies, squeezing his hand. Chris sees Darren try to think of something to ask him, but obviously having trouble getting past the fact that he's a time traveler. "I'm sorry," Darren says with a small and easy laugh. "I can't over the fact that I have an actual time traveler in my loft."

Chris laughs at that, understanding where Darren is coming from. If he met someone only to have them reveal something drastically like he did, it would occupy his thoughts at all times. "How about this," Chris says. "My favorite color is blue. How about that change of subject?" Chris jokes.

Darren laughs out loud at that, letting out a small snort. Chris smiles at being able to do that.

Day nine

The soft brush of lips to his is what wakes him up on this morning. Smiling against Darren's mouth, he flutters his eyes open to the sight of him gazing down upon him with a grin on his face. Sighing into the kiss he gives him, Chris cups the side of his face and considers staying in bed all day doing nothing but kissing Darren.

"You hungry?"

At Darren's question, Chris hears his stomach grumble for food. "Guess that's answer enough," he replies with an easy laugh.

Getting ready because Darren wants to go to a small café a few blocks over for breakfast, Chris takes his hand in his when they exit the loft, not holding back his smile when Darren squeezes his hand.

The café is filled with people already eating or waiting for their food. Heading for one of the empty tables, Chris sits down as Darren sits across from him. Smiling at the waitress that comes up to him, Chris sees her name tag that reads Abby.

"What may I get for you gentlemen this morning?" she asks with a nice smile as she holds her pen to her pad.

"Blueberry pancakes, orange juice, and coffee," Darren orders.

"I'll have the same," Chris says when Abby looks to him. "No coffee, though."

"I'll be right out with your drinks." Abby smiles at them and walks away.

"Good thing you passed on the coffee. I don't know if I would have been able to deal with you bouncing off the walls for the next four hours."

"I'm glad to not put you through that, then," Chris says as he takes one of the cups of orange juice Abby sets on the table in front of them.

Sitting there as he looks around, watching the people as they talk and eat with the others they are with, Chris enjoys the atmosphere of the place. Likes the warmness and how welcoming it feels. It's totally unlike the cafeteria at the Infinity that only is filled with the noises of utensils scraping across plates and people eating.

"I like it here," Chris states as he takes a drink of his orange juice.

"I've been coming here ever since I moved here a few years back." Darren grabs a few packets of sugar and shakes them when Abby sets his cup of coffee down in front of him; tearing off the tops, Chris watches the crystalized sugar fall into the black liquid in the cup. "I love their blueberry pancakes," Darren says after taking a drink.

"I'll trust your judgment then." Chris knows he doesn't have to worry about anything when it comes to Darren and what he enjoys.

---

Sitting on Darren's couch later that evening after, Darren next to him as he holds his hand, Chris can feel as Darren fidgets and moves and quickly looks to him before turning away shaking his head. Wondering what it could be, Chris asks, "What's on your mind?"

"Can I ask you about the times you've been to?" Darren asks with intrigue, a playful smile spreading across his face. "I want to know about the things you've seen and people you've met."

"Ask me, then." Chris actually finds himself excited about telling Darren everything he wants to know. The fact that he's met someone he can share his greatest memories with so far that isn't like him has Chris ready and willing to reveal his stories.

"Earliest time you've been sent to?"

Chris smiles at immediately knowing the answer. "I saw gladiators fight in the Colosseum in Rome."

"No!" Chris chuckles at Darren's surprise, nodding his head.

"I was there for only two days. But the sight of that beautiful structure and seeing those men battling is a sight I won't soon forget."

"How do you go unnoticed in a time like that?"

"We have clothes to match the time we're sent to. So, yeah, imagine me in a toga. Very breezy." Chris laughs at that, remembering how comfortable the outfit actually was.

"I would kill to see you in a toga." Darren smirks and arches an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Chris replies, winking at him.

"Have you ever met or seen someone of historical importance?"

"I'll have you know that Da Vinci thought I was an actual angel from heaven. I'm pretty sure I've never laughed so hard before."

"Why'd you laugh?" Darren asks confused, not understanding why Chris would find the statement funny.

"Because," Chris says. "It's the craziest thing I've ever heard. I know what he meant by his words, but I just don't see it."

"Something you miss?"

"I was sent to 1924 Chicago once," Chris starts off, going back to that time in his head. "I was there for a few weeks, but…There was this club that was always open every night no matter what. It always smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol that wasn't legal and woman's perfume. But that's not what I miss about it. Every night there was this jazz band that would play and people would flood the dance floor and just spend the whole night dancing. I miss that most…dancing. I miss moving to the rhythm of music and getting lost in it all."

"I'll dance with you," Darren says as he stands and pulls Chris up with him.

"You don't have to." Chris says it but still moves in close when Darren pulls him to his body.

"I know. But I want to," Darren whispers into his ear.

Chris smiles as he rests his cheek next Darren's, wrapping one arm around Darren's back. His other hand is clasped in Darren's, and resting against his chest. Moving and swaying to a tune Darren hums into his ear; the gentle, slow melody soothing to his ears, Chris smiles as he rests his cheek to Darren's. They move much slower than when he danced in that club. The music then fast and loud making all the people who danced move just like that. But he loves this; loves being close to Darren and going slow. He loves being able to hear Darren humming in his ear, feel his heart beneath his hand, and moving at a pace that feels right.

He'll take any form of dancing he can get. It's been two years since Chicago, and Chris hasn't danced since then, but here now in Darren's arms, dancing with him, it feels like it's only been yesterday since he last did this.

It's there, in Darren's arms, that Chris realizes he wants to be with him in a way that will surely get him in trouble when he goes back. He wants Darren to be his first. So, with a beating heart, he closes his eyes and whispers, "Make love to me." Chris doesn't have control over many things in his life. Most decisions and choices he make are not of his choosing; forced upon him by people who control everything about him. But this is a choice he's making all his own. This choice, this decision, to be with Darren in a way he's never been with anybody else is something he wants to be in control of. He wants for this one thing to be something he did because he wanted to, and not because he was forced to.

"Are you sure?" Darren's eyes stare into his as if looking for any kind of doubt.

Chris nods his head yes.

"Have you ever been with anyone?"

"We're not allowed to until the Committee pairs us off at twenty-eight. So, no is your answer."

"Why twenty-eight? And why are you paired off?"

"That is the age the Committee chose to be appropriate to stop Travelers from going back. It's also the age we're paired with someone and married. The chances of a Traveler being born is higher if both parents are both Travelers themselves."

"But you...you're gay."

"No one knows. It's safer if no one did."

"If they found out anyways?"

"I'd still be paired off and made sure to have a child."

"That's terrible," Darren says, brows creased in distraught over what he was told.

"Yeah, I know." Chris rests his forehead to Darren's and closes his eyes. "It's why I want to be with you. I want to know what it's like to be with someone of my choosing. Not theirs." Lifting his head and opening his eyes, Chris smiles and nudges his nose against Darren's. "Will you do that for me?"

"I would love to." Chris feels a shiver run down his spine at the look of love he thinks fills Darren's eyes, hoping and praying that's what it is.

Lips press to his as fingers graze under his shirt.

"I'm scared and nervous," Chris admits as Darren lifts his shirt above his head. Fingers softly gliding down his back send a spark of desire through; he suddenly wants and needs more. But instead of rushing this moment like he wants to, he's taking it slow like Darren wants.

"It's okay," Darren assures him, giving him a small kiss on his lips. "And you can stop anytime you want. I'll understand."

He might be scared and nervous, but he doesn't want to stop. Doesn't think he'll ever want to stop the brush of fingers over his skin, the press of lips to his neck, or the feeling of having someone so close that makes his heart beat faster.

Kissing Darren as he pulls at the fabric of his shirt, tugging it up and having difficulty removing it, he laughs when Darren decides to break the kiss and quickly pull it off himself. Running his fingertips over defined muscles and the spattering of soft hair that disappears into the waistband of Darren's jeans, Chris has never seen someone more beautiful in every sense of the word.

As he kiss Darren, the graze of fingers against his stomach make him shiver as he hears the clanking of metal as his buckle is loosened. The pop of the button has him pushing down the jeans when they hang loose off his hips; kicking them away. Reaching for Darren's jeans, and doing the same, Chris admires the whole of Darren's body as he stands there in nothing but black underwear.

Taking Darren's hand, fingers clasped tight, Chris walks to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed and lying back, he blushes as he smiles up at Darren. Being confident about himself, he slides his fingers into the waistband of his underwear and lifts his hips, pushing them down. Kicking them off his ankles, Chris lies there and lets Darren stare at his naked body.

It's not the first time he's been naked in front of another person. But it's the first time he wants to be naked in front of somebody. He wants Darren to look at him and admiring his body, just as he's doing now. The blush that spreads down to his chest, he's pretty sure, is obvious and makes him let out a small laugh and cover his face with his hands.

"Hey," Darren says as he tugs at his left wrist. "Don't be shy. You look gorgeous."

Peeking out through his fingers of his other hand this still covers his eyes, he looks up at Darren. Seeing him grinning down at him, he drops his hand away and watches as Darren removes his underwear, moving to kneel between his legs and letting him look. Pushing himself to sit up, he admires every inch of Darren's naked body. He runs his finger over hard, lean muscle and feels the soft wisps of hair that leads down to the patch between his legs.

Threading his fingers in Darren's curls when he leans down and starts to kiss him, he falls back on the bed, moaning at the feeling of Darren's erection brushing his hip.

It's strange and new to him to lie with someone else while completely naked. It sends a spark of arousal through him at being so intimate with another human for the first time. The touch of Darren's skin to his as he comfortably lies on top of him is so new and different that it has him aching for more already.

"You okay?" Darren asks as he gazes down at him.

"Yeah." Chris strokes his fingers along Darren's back as he smiles up at him.

Keeping his eyes on Darren as he leans over to grab something, Chris leans up and kisses at the side of his neck. When Darren turns back to him, Chris smiles into the kiss he gives him. He's so distracted by the kiss that when Darren starts to push in with the first finger, Chris accidentally bites his lower lip.

"I'm sorry, but..." Chris trails off as he feels the finger push all the way. "Wasn't expecting that."

"It's okay."

Chris sighs at how gentle Darren is as he moves his finger inside him and slowly adds another one, moving the two with a gentleness that makes his heart burst with love. By the time he's pushing in with three, Chris bites his lower lip at the stretch it causes. After awhile, he starts to roll his hips down on the fingers, moaning at the jolts of pleasure that are starting to shoot up his spine.

"You ready?" Darren asks him as he cups the side of his face and soothingly strokes his thumb over his cheek.

"Yes." Chris nods his head, shaking some with nerves.

"We don't have to do this," Darren quietly tells him, already moving to sit up.

Chris hooks his legs over Darren's hips and forces him to stay put, not wanting him to think he's doing the right thing by stopping. "I want this, Darren. Me...this person in front of you. I'm ready. I'm just a little nervous."

"Okay," Darren mumbles as he nods his head.

Chris watches him reach in the drawer for something else, seeing the glint of a foil wrapper in his hand. "No," Chris says, stopping his hands as he moves to rip it open. "I want to feel all of you with nothing in the way."

"Chris, we shouldn't-"

"I'm healthy," Chris cuts in. "If that's what you're worried about. We're required to an exam every two months, and I had it two weeks ago. I'm one hundred percent healthy."

"Me too," Darren adds, Chris seeing him going over the choices in his head. "I'm just...I've never done that before."

"First time for everything, right? But if you don't want to, I won't mind you wearing the condom."

"You know what," Darren says as he drops the condom to the floor. "We're clean, and I trust you."

"I trust you, too." Those words have never sounded more true than when he says them right then. Chris has told that to Lucas and Dianna, but telling Darren that now seems somehow more true than when he's said it before.

Seeing Darren squeeze some lube onto his palm, and reach down to stroke himself, Chris lifts his legs a bit higher. Gasping when Darren slowly starts to push into him, the stretch more than the three fingers, Chris focuses on Darren and his eyes to distract him.

"Just breathe," Darren soothingly says as he continues to gently roll his hips into him. "Breathe."

Breathing like Darren tells him to, Chris sighs when he feels all of Darren inside him.

Staying still for a few moments, hearing his heart beating loud in his ears, and hearing Darren breathing after he rest his forehead to his temple, Chris trembles as he slowly begins to relax around Darren.

"I'm going to move now," Darren whispers against his temple.

"Okay," Chris replies with a shaky breath as he nods his head.

The first drag of Darren's hips back makes Chris gasp at the feeling of him moving inside him. Whimpering as he slowly pushes back in, Chris can't believe at how different this actually feels to what he imagined. When he thought about sleeping with someone for the first time, he thought about it being a weird and unusual feeling. But this…The feeling he has as Darren moves inside him has him circling his arms around Darren's back and clutching at his shoulders.

After some time, he starts to rock his hips along with Darren's. He moans at the how good it all feels, wanting to savor each and every little thing about this moment. Moving his hips to Darren's movements; moaning at the sparks of pleasure that travel throughout his body, Chris flutters his eyes closed when Darren kisses his neck and continues to thrust into him. He slides his fingers of his right hand through Darren's soft curls and clutches tight, needing something to hold onto as pleasure grows and grows in his body.

Lifting his legs higher on either of Darren's sides, high enough to feel the bottom of his ribcage brush his knees, Chris whines low in his throat as Darren props himself up with one of his hands, grabbing at his hip with the other and starts to thrust into him a bit harder and faster. Letting out a scream of pleasure as he circles his hips and manages to hit that spot inside him that seems to send pleasure through him like liquid fire, Chris is pretty sure he's never felt anything better in his life.

Panting into Darren's ear after he drops his head to give him a quick kiss, they continue to move together; Chris keeps his eyes closed, and tries to focus on anything but the building pleasure in his body, wanting this to last for as long as possible. Opening his eyes and tipping his head back when Darren manages to brush his prostate again, he just closes his eyes again and scratches his fingers down Darren's back, red lines in his skin that fade as quickly as they appear.

"Chris," he hears Darren pant out. "Look at me."

Looking up at Darren, he locks his eyes on Darren's as they continue to move together at a fast pace.

"D-Darren," he says with a wavering voice. "I…I'm-" Pulling his lip between his teeth and moaning, Chris feels as it becomes too much and his body chases the release it so desperately wants.

"I know," Darren whispers before capturing his mouth in a hard kiss that adds to the pleasure building in his body.

Chris moans, digging his fingers into Darren's back, when he takes him in hand and starts to stroke him. It doesn't take much, considering how on edge he already was, before he's throwing his head back and crying out Darren's name as he spills over his fist.

It's memorizing and hypnotizing and all other words that he can't think of that the moment. It's unlike anything he's ever felt before. It washes over him and leaves him a state of euphoria and bliss and a pleasure that he doesn't want to go away. Pleasure, he just discovered, it so much better than he ever thought. He knew it could be great by hearing other Travelers who talked about it, but he never imagined it could produce this amazing feeling in him. It's a feeling that leaves him wanting more.

Still moving his hips as Darren stops stroking him, he moans as Darren thrust a few more times and stutters his hips, spilling inside him. That moment alone is quiet possible the most sensual thing he's ever experienced, and he loves it.

They collapse fully against the bed after they stop moving. Lying there and breathing heavy, legs and arms still wrapped around Darren, and feeling as his body still thrums with pleasure, Chris starts to giggle.

"Wh-what's funny?" Darren lifts his head to stare down at him.

"Now I get why people do this all the time," Chris replies. "This feeling, this pleasure, is intoxicating."

Relaxing against the bed when Darren pulls out, he sighs into the quick kiss he gives him before watching him climb out of bed. The image of Darren's naked body with a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin and lite scratches down his back have Chris grinning at how perfect this moment was. Watching him clean himself and wet a napkin, he doesn't hide the fact that he's staring when Darren walks back to him.

"Don't get mad when I ask this," Darren quietly says as he sits down on the bed next to him, wiping the napkin over his stomach. "But, is that the first time you've ever had an orgasm?"

Chris blushes and nods his head, letting out a small laugh at Darren's shocked reaction.

"How is that so? Don't you masturbate?"

"At the Infinity, we aren't given any privacy no matter where we are. It was easier for me to just not do anything than have someone watching me." Chris turns onto his side after Darren finishes cleaning his stomach. "After awhile, I learned to suppress the urges I had and do nothing."

Right when he sees Darren about to comment the sound of a phone buzzing hits his ears. Watching Darren as he grabs his jeans and searches through his pocket until he finds it, Chris sees him read a message.

"What is it?" Chris asks.

"Alex wants us to have dinner with her at her place in a few." Darren looks to him and smiles. "Want to go?"

"Sure."

---

After a quick shower shared together where their lips ended up swollen and numb from the nonstop kissing, Chris finds himself in front of Alex's building forty minutes later with Darren holding his hand. He hears the buzz when Darren presses the button for Alex's apartment.

"Who is it?" he hears Alex call over the intercom.

"You're favorite friend in the whole world," Darren replies with a laugh.

"But Cassi is already here," Alex retorts, Chris hearing her chuckle.

"Let me in, Alex. Or I'm leaving and you won't see Chris," Darren playfully argues; Chris hears the immediate buzz to let them in.

A few minutes later, he finds himself being hugged tightly by Alex once they step into her apartment, Darren letting go of his hand.

"It's good to see you again," Alex murmurs into his ear, squeezing him tight then letting him go.

"You too," Chris tells her, genuinely excited to see everybody again.

Standing there as Alex walks away, Darren steps in front of him and smiles. "Listen, Chris," he whispers, reaching for his hand once again. "We don't have to tell them anything about us you don't want to."

"If they figure it out?"

"Let them," Darren answers, squeezing his hand and giving him a gentle smile. "They'll probably be glad to know I'm with someone."

At those words, Chris gives Darren a beaming smile. "Are we? Together, I mean."

"Would you like that?"

He should say no; should tell Darren that they shouldn't be together when he is leaving. He shouldn't give Darren a false hope of this being a relationship that will last longer than another day and a half. But he wants this so badly that he's willing to overlook that so he can have this short happiness at being with Darren.

"Yeah," he nods his head, "I would like that."

"Then so be it." Darren grins and winks at him before turning around and walking down the short hall.

Reaching the end, Chris sees everybody from the bar relaxing around Alex's living room. Cassi sits cross-legged on a foot stool, Deacon sitting in a chair near a desk were a computer is set up, and Liam on the couch. Chris can hear some noises coming from the kitchen where Alex is.

"Hey, guys," Darren greets them as he leads them to the couch where Liam is sitting.

They get combined hellos from everybody.

Carefully sitting down on the couch, moving until he gets comfortable, Chris notices the look Darren gives him. "I'm fine," he leans over and whispers so no one else hears. "Just a little sore."

"Sorry if I was a little too rough," Darren quietly says into his ear.

Chris smiles and blushes at how having Darren so close after what they shared is stirring a feeling a want in him. Turning to look at him, gazing into his luminous eyes, he replies, "You were great. It's my first time, it's to be expected." He does his best to not turn into the touch of Darren's fingers across his forehead as they push back his hair, but failing miserably. He blushes as he stares at him, already thinking about going back to the loft to be alone with him again.

"Oh, my god!" Deacon exclaims, holding his stomach as he laughs and stomps his feet like a five year old excited over getting to play outside.

"What?" Liam asks, dropping the conversation he was having with Cassi.

Chris tears his gaze from Darren and looks from Deacon to Cassi to Liam, and then to back to Darren, seeing all the same confused looks on their faces. "What's he talking about?" he asks Darren.

"No clue. But it's Deacon, the guy finds anything amusing." Darren looks to Deacon who's now got his laughing fit under control. "What's this all about, Deac?"

"Liam, Cas, please tell me I'm not the only one that sees these two slept together?" Deacon points out, waving a hand between Darren and Chris.

Chris is shocked by how quickly Deacon put it together. When he first hung out with him, he got the impression he was one to take awhile to get something.

"How the hell do you do that?" Darren asks genuinely interested.

"What? Know when someone's been laid?" Deacon snorts, reaching for the bottle of beer sitting on the table in front of him. "It's pretty goddamn obvious with you two. Looking at each other like y'all want to devour each other...all over again."

"Well, shit, Deacon," Cassi jumps in and says. "Don't have to announce something like that to everybody. What if they didn't want us to know?"

"Is that what y'all wanted?" Deacon asks, actually looking upset as if he made a big mistake.

"Well, no. If y'all figured it out-"

"See," Deacon interrupts Darren, looking relieved. "I did nothing wrong."

"One day, you and your big mouth will get you in trouble," Liam says.

"Luckily for me, that's not today."

Chris lets out a laugh at that, actually finding Deacon's statement to be true. Looking to Darren, he laughs some more when he shrugs his shoulders as if saying "it is what it is."

"So, Chris," Deacon says, grabbing his attention. "How long are you staying in the New York?"

"I'm unsure," he replies, not wanting to reveal to Darren in front of all his friends that he's leaving soon. "Didn't really pick New York for my destination. But I'm glad I came here." After he says it, he glances to Darren and sees the smile that spreads across his face.

"Guys," Alex calls from where she is placing the final dish on the table. "Dinner is ready."

"Hey, Alex," Deacon starts, standing up and heading for the table. "These two slept together."

Chris blushes and hides behind Darren, burying his face in his back between his shoulder blades.

"Seems we have a long night ahead of us," Darren turns his head and whispers to him, Chris peeking up and seeing him smiling and shaking his head.

---

The sound of the heavy door sliding shut behind him three hours later is loud as Chris walks into the loft. Looking to the bed, he blushes as he remembers what happened mere hours before.

"I'm sorry about Deacon," Darren apologizes as he grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. "He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

"It's fine." Chris walks over to him, taking a sip of water when Darren offers the bottle. "Just wasn't ready for Alex to scream and almost knock me over."

"Yeah," Darren sighs. "She's been worried about me since my ex and what happened."

"She told me about what happened," Chris says in a comforting voice. "I'm sorry about that."

"I'm over it. I have you now."

Chris beams at that, although he feels his heart breaking at giving Darren the happiness he deserves knowing it won't last. He knows he'll only break his heart when he leaves in a few days.

"We have each other," Chris replies, leaning forward and capturing Darren's mouth in a sweet kiss.

Immediately, he reaches for Darren's shirt and pulls it over his head, dropping it to the floor. Lifting his arms, he feels the pull of fabric over his skin.

"Seems we've been doing a lot of undressing today." Chris giggles as he drops his arms and Darren tosses his shirt to the floor.

"I like undressing you," Darren whispers as he kisses below his ear; Chris flutters his eyes closed and threads his fingers through Darren's curls, sighing as he nips and bites at his skin.

The feel of teeth lightly biting at his skin, followed subsequently by Darren sucking at where he bit, and swipes of his tongue all configure to Chris moaning and not even caring that Darren is leaving a mark on him. He knows it will still be there when he goes back and somehow that has him wanting this so much more. He wants the Committee to see what he let Darren do, to know someone touched him in a way they don't allow. He wants them to see, because he's finally turning his back on them and living his life.

Gasping when Darren kisses him and presses their bodies flush together, backing him up against one of the pillars in the loft, Chris moans as Darren lifts one of his legs and rolls his hips into him. It sends an immediate spark of pleasure up his spine, having him craving and seeking out more.

Lifting his other leg to wrap around Darren's waist, Chris drops his forehead to Darren's when he rolls his hips forward. Releasing little whimpers as they move together, he smiles as he keeps his eyes locked on Darren's lust blown ones.

"Bed...Go to bed," Chris pants out, not making coherent sentences. But Darren understands as he feels him hold him tight and push off the pillar and take the few steps to the bed.

Letting out a small scream when Darren drops him on the bed, seeing him chuckle, Chris watches as Darren reaches down to undo his jeans. Doing the same, he lifts his hips to push down his jeans and underwear. Opening his legs to let Darren lie on top of him, he moans at the immediate contact of Darren's naked body on his, forgetting everything around him and focusing on Darren and being with him again.

---

Rolling onto his side a couple hours later, scooting close into Darren, Chris nuzzles his nose along Darren's cheek, smiling at how completely happy he is for the first time in his life. "I love you, Darren," he says without thinking. It's a split second later when he realizes and begins to panic, wondering if he can come up with a good enough lie; tell Darren he didn't mean it.

But before he can get completely terrified of what Darren might say or do, lips softly press to his in a slow and languid kiss. He can feel the smile on Darren's lips as he kisses him, making him smile in return. "I love you, too," Darren moves to whisper into his ear.

Chris is pretty sure his world stops with those four words. Four words that change everything about him being here. Yeah, him loving Darren was something doable, something he could manage when he went back. But now knowing that Darren loves him in return has him dreading returning and wanting to stay here and be with him. To love Darren is fine, but to have Darren love him is not so great. It's a great feeling; knowing that he is loved. But he knows he'll only break both their hearts when he has to return, knowing he won't ever see him again.

Taking Darren when he rolls onto his back, hooking his legs over Darren's hips, the urge to feel him inside grows with each passing second. And when Darren pushes in a few minutes later, Chris sighs at how much the touch can make him feel so loved.

As Darren slowly starts to move his hips, gentle rocks into him that are just enough at the moment to create a spark of pleasure, Chris knows this isn't just two bodies seeking pleasure. This is two people intertwining their hearts and hopes.

Day ten

'Don't fall in love with someone from a time you traveled to.' Looking at the teacher in the red blouse, and around the room, Chris is annoyed nobody else questions this rule...again. He hates how everybody just goes along with it with no qualms whatsoever.

Raising his arm, he intends to question this for the first time in his life.

'Yes?' the teacher says as she sits on the edge of her desk.

'Why can't we fall in love when we travel?' he asks in a determined voice, wanting an answer. He might be sixteen, but he knows when you find love, you fight for it. Right?

'Let me put it this way: how would you explain to the person what you are? And say they believe you, what happens when you leave? You never see them again, and that leaves you both heartbroken. Is all that really worth it?'

Chris thinks over the answer, knowing she's right. But then he thinks about something else. 'Wouldn't it be better to have something, than not to have it at all? Isn't a few moments of love worth a lifetime without it?'

'Perhaps,' the lady replies, standing up tall and looming over the kids. 'But if that happens, if you reveal yourself, you will be punished. Now think if love is worth that.'

Waking up from his dream, remembering that day in the classroom, Chris feels no worry or fears at telling Darren how he truly feels for him.

Moving on to his side, he feels sore all over his body; aches that he enjoys because it makes what he shared with Darren real. Looking to Darren still asleep, sheet resting low around his hips, and showing off his spectacular body, Chris can't believe that Darren is in love with him. He never thought he would find his true love in the past. But here he is, in love with a man who he won't be able to stay with.

Thinking about what the teacher said again, he begins to think they were both right.

He loves Darren, and Darren loves him, and having that for the last few hours he is here is worth it. But knowing it can't last forever breaks Chris' heart. Knowing that he'll be going back and won't see Darren once again has him hating The Committee.

He just wants what should be his: control over his life. He wants the chance to make the choice to stay here and be with Darren; to live a normal life like any person his age. He wants his future to be in the past with Darren.

Staring out at the rain drops that roll down the window, the sky gloomy and dark with rain clouds, and the sound of rain pattering the window has him wanting to stay inside and under the covers with Darren.

"Damn, I wanted to go for a picnic in Central Park," Darren jokes.

Chris smiles at Darren's words. Lifting his head, he looks down at him and can't believe he found the person he truly loves in the past. "We can go some other time," he says, brushing his thumb over Darren's bottom lip. He says it, but is sure it will never happen, considering he knows he'll be leaving to go back to his time sometime tomorrow.

"What do you want to do today?" Darren asks as he wraps an arm around Chris' waist and ghosts his fingers up and down his back.

Chris shivers at the touch, not wanting Darren to stop. "Can we stay in bed?" he shyly asks, feeling the blush stain his cheeks at the question.

"Staying in bed all day with you sounds like an excellent idea."

Chris lies back down, resting his head on Darren's shoulder and nuzzling his nose against his neck.

---

"I have a question," Darren says after they've laid there for some time after catching their breath.

"Okay." Chris can feel his pleasure start to fade from his body. Closing his eyes, he goes back to the image a few minutes before of Darren straddling his lap and moving his hips up and down around him. Recalling that has his body responding quicker than he thought possible.

"What happens when you go back?" Darren turns his attention from the window to him, a look of worry overtaking his always bright eyes.

The question catches Chris off guard and has all other thoughts leaving his mind. Wanting to tell Darren the truth, he knows it's the best thing to do. "I'll tell them everything that happened here," Chris quietly responds. "They'll rid me of my ability to travel and send me to a time of their choosing." Chris knows that doesn't answer the question Darren was really asking.

"And you and me?" Chris can hear Darren's voice tremble as he asks the question, already knowing the reply.

"We'll never see each other again." Chris moves away, turning onto his side with his back to Darren. He fights the tears that fill his eyes and want to spill over. "I'm sorry," he murmurs with a broken voice.

The guilt he feels is so great that his heart hurts at the pain he will cause them. He wishes with his whole heart there was some way to stop this; stop from going back. He wishes he could permanently stay with Darren and give them the happiness they both so desperately deserve. But as it is, he can't; he has to go back.

A hand at his shoulder pushes him onto his back and has him staring up into Darren's eyes. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because...We fell in love and all I can give you is these measly days we've shared together. It sucks. You deserve to be happy for longer than that."

"Yeah," Darren breathes out. "It does suck. I won't lie and say that just these days with you are enough, because they're not. I want more than what you can offer. I want endless amounts of days with you." Chris turns into the touch when Darren strokes his thumb over his cheek. "But if I can't have that, I'll take these "measly days" we've had. Because I'd rather have what it's like to love you than to never have known."

Chris' heart nearly burst with love for Darren. But he still feels guilty for knowing he allowed this even when he knew it couldn't last.

"But we can't be together. No matter what happens, I will still go back and you'll be here alone. I don't want to hurt you like your ex did. I don't want to break your heart."

"Hey," Darren softly says, smiling at him. "You leaving is nothing compared to what my ex did. He could have stopped it; not done what he did, but he didn't. You have no control over this thing. You can't stop it, not go back. You're not him, Chris. You're so much better."

"Can I apologize now for the heartbreak I will cause us both? Because, I'm so sorry for everything that will happen after I leave."

"Don't talk like you know this is ending soon. You don't know how long you're staying. So, let's enjoy the time we have together," Darren tells him, giving him a look that makes Chris hate himself for not telling Darren this is his last night here. "I'll deal with you leaving after you're gone."

"I love you so much," Chris says, not knowing what else to say to the person that changed his world completely.

"I love you, too."

Sighing into the kiss Darren gives him, Chris holds back the tears that threaten to fall at knowing these are the last few hours with the man he loves.

But choosing to forget about that, Chris moans as Darren settles on top of him when he spreads his thighs, letting out small moans and whimpers as their bodies start to gently rock together, seeking out the pleasure that he can't get enough of.

Day eleven

Smiling into the kiss Darren gives him, he slowly opens his eyes to find him fully dressed. "Mmm, where you going?" he asks, tugging on his shirt to pull him back in bed, wanting to savor the last hours he has here.

"I'm going to go get breakfast. I'll be back in less than twenty minutes," Darren tells him, giving him another kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too," Chris happily replies. He watches him walk across the loft to the door, sliding it open and waving to him before he closes the door.

He lies there trying to go back to sleep but keeps feeling a weirdness begin to overtake his body. A buzzing sound rings loud in his ears and flashes in his mind happen every few seconds. It doesn't take long for him to realize he's going back; and based on what he knows, he has a few minutes.

Getting dressed in the outfit he came in, he searches for a pen and paper. Finding one, he writes a note to Darren explaining everything. Not a few seconds after he writes I love you does he feel himself leaving.

---

Pushing himself to stand up, staggering some on wobbly legs because of the travel, Chris looks around the bare, white room. Turning his attention to the door when it's opened, he sees two woman dressed in white jumpsuits with their hair tightly pulled back in a bun come in to the gather him.

"You know the routine," one of the ladies says. "You are to be cleaned, examined, and then sent to be questioned by the Committee. Do you understand these rules as you've been told?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chris nods his head, heading out of the room with the woman following him close behind.

Stripping naked when pushed into a room that is a large shower, one wall of the room actually a mirror Chris knows is a two-way and they are watching him. He knows by now they have seen the finger shaped bruises on his hips and the various other marks that cover his skin. And instead of being scared by having them know, he stands proud at what Darren left on his body. The marks make him know that it was real; that Darren actually loves him and expresses that in every way possible a human can. So, he doesn't try to hide his marks, and instead visibly displays them for all to see. He figures he's already fucked, might as well go out standing tall.

Drying off when the water shuts off, he takes the clothes the other woman he walked with offers when she steps into the room. The tapping of her heels on the tile floor making Chris think of Darren and how he would tap his finger against his bare skin when humming along to a song he didn't know.

"Thank you," he tells her when he begins to dress.

She doesn't say anything, instead keeping her mouth closed in a hard line and vision straight ahead. But Chris can see something concerns her, and figures he's in enough trouble as it is, stepping out of line is just a little bit to add to it all.

"What bothers you?" He pulls up the loose fitting cotton pants, tying the drawstring.

"You have no worries over losing everything?" she quietly whispers though no one in the other room can hear.

He knows she asks the question because she saw the marks on his body and can easily guess he was with someone.

"I've already lost everything. I've lost my family, my freedom, my life, and..." Chris huffs as he trails off, thinking about Darren and how he'll never see him again. "I've lost my love just coming back here. I won't see him again. So, no, I have no worries about what will happen to me, because I've already been through hell. And trust me, where they'll send me will be nothing."

"Him? You said a him?" the woman says, surprised the confession.

"Yeah," Chris say with a smile. "I guess I should have told you guys I'm gay, although that really shouldn't be anybody's business."

Following the lady out of the room, and across the hall, he sits on the edge of the exam table and says nothing as the doctor goes over everything about him, making sure he is still healthy. He doesn't say a word when he the doctor asks him if he took part in any sort of activities while he was gone. Chris knows what he's really asking, but wants to wait until he's in front of the Committee to reveal that, although he figures the doctor will find out in no time.

Standing off the table, and following the lady out of the room, Chris already knows the way to go to see the Committee; at this point, he could walk to the room he's headed to blindfold.

Stepping into the room when the door is opened, he sits in the chair in the middle of the room that is set in front of the people that make up the Committee.

"Hello," he says after he sits, shifting to get comfortable, considering he is still sore from his night with Darren. He laughs how he thinks about his night with Darren happened last night, when in actuality it happen more than eighteen hundred years ago.

"Did you do as you were supposed to while you were there?" one of the men with a gravelly voice asks him, reading a chart with his information.

"No." Chris knows there is no reason in lying at this point. He can tell by the looks they give him that Committee has been informed of what he did while he was gone. "Although, to my defense, I have no idea what I was supposed to do while there."

"Did you reveal yourself to anyone?" Jan asks, completely ignoring his last comment.

"Yes," Chris truthfully replies. He hears a combined groan of protest and disbelief from the Committee at his answer, seeing some of them give him a menacing look, ones he ignores.

"We've learned that you have had sexual relations while you were gone," another one of the men states, looking up from his papers.

"Yes," Chris says as he nods his head. "I had sex with the person I loved. There is nothing wrong with that."

Chris sits there as he listens to the whisperings of the Committee as they all agree what to do with him. He knows there is no changing their mind about what they will do. If he could, he would get on his knees and beg them to send him back to Darren. But knowing that's not possible, he keeps his mouth shut and waits for the punishment he knows is coming.

"So be it." Hearing those words make him think about Darren telling him something along the same line yesterday in Alex's apartment. "You are to be stripped of your traveling abilities and sent to a time of our choosing. Someone will come to get you in the morning."

Already knowing that was what his punishment would be Chris only feels a slight pain at hearing the words. Standing up and heading to walk out of the room, he stops and turns back to the Committee, finally getting the courage to tell him his mind about them, seeing as he won't be seeing them again. "I hate every single one of you. You ruined my life and took me from the one person I truly loved. I'm glad I am to never see anyone of y'all again."

With that, he opens the door and walks out; walks away from the group of people he's glad he'll never see again.

---

Someone shaking him awake has him grumbling, thinking it's too soon to be gathered. A voice as if from a distance calls his name, but he shuts his eyes harder and burrows his head into the pillow, chasing the dream he was having of Darren and he.

More shaking has him annoyed and throwing open his eyes, ready to scream at whoever is trying to wake him.

Angrily sitting up, he's shocked when he sees a panicked Dianna sitting on the edge of his bed with her case in her lap. He knows what's inside the case, seen it dozens of times to know with a glance what it is. Looking over to Lucas only to remember he's been moved to a new room, he turns his attention back to Dianna.

"What are you doing here?" he whispers as he rubs the sleep from his face.

"Do you truly love him?" she asks as she unzips the case and lays it flat on her lap.

"What?"

"The one you talked about. Do you truly love him?" she repeats, grabbing the first syringe.

"Yes. But that doesn't answer why yo-"

He stops when Dianna grabs his arm and tightly ties an elastic band around his upper arm, tapping the crease of his arm to get a vein up. "I'm sending you back," she finally answers as she gives him the first shot. "I can't let you get punished for falling in love. You deserve to be with him; to have the life you couldn't have here." She grabs the second syringe and pierces his skin easily. "I'm sending you back to give you the freedom you deserve."

"They'll destroy you," Chris tells her, making sure she knows the consequences of her actions at the moment.

"But I'll be happy knowing you're finally happy." She removes the final needle from his arm, untying the band and putting a band-aid over the puncture. "Come on, we only have a limited amount of time before they figure out I opened your door."

Chris stands up and quickly changes, hastily pulling on the shirt and jeans Diana brought, and lacing the black leather boots she gives him.

Taking her hand and clasping it in his, he follows her out of the room and to where they take him to travel.

It's as they hurriedly walk that it hits Chris he's going to be seeing Darren again; he's going to be with him without the worry of having to leave. He's getting the happiness he's dreamt about. He's getting more nights at the bar with Darren and his friends, and dancing in his loft, and spending days in bed together just enjoying having the other close, and being happy.

Walking into the room he'll be seeing for the last time, he turns to Dianna and gives her the biggest hug he can. He holds her tight and close to him, wanting her to remember this last moment they'll have together. "I love you," he whispers into her ear. "You're a great friend for this and everything else you've done for me."

"I love you, too" she says back with a broken and wavering voice. "Now let up, I have to give you one final shot."

Letting her go, Chris looks at her in confusion, not understanding what the last shot could be.

"It's what we give all the Travelers that have been punished and are stripped of their ability." She takes hold of his other arm and pushes his sleeve up, quickly sticking the needle into his skin and plunging the syringe down. "Once you reach your destination the gene should be gone and they can't bring you back."

Letting her walk him to the chair, Chris sits down, a bit relieved when Dianna doesn't strap him in.

"Here," she says as she holds out a piece of paper to him. "This is for you."

Taking it and seeing numbers and a date written on it, Chris doesn't understand what's written. "What is this?"

"It's the only thing I could think to give you to make up for everything they put you through. You might not understand, but show it to him and he should. That date should be happening soon, because I'm trying to send you back to as close to when you left."

Watching her walk over to a nearby computer, he jumps at the sudden alarms going off; shoving the paper into his pocket, he keeps his eyes on Dianna. He sees Dianna frantically punching in codes and hitting buttons to get him ready to leave.

Soon he feels the pull that makes it known he is leaving. "Bye, Dianna," he says before he leaves and can't tell her.

"Bye, Chris," she says with a sadness to her voice.

A few seconds later, Chris is gone.

---

It doesn't take long for him to get back to where Darren lives once he gets back to his time. He waited until someone opened the door before he went in, climbing the stairs two at a time to the loft. He stops in front of the heavy metal door and takes one last deep breath before knocking.

Lifting his hand and knocking on the door, he waits for the slide of the heavy door, waits for the familiar curls and bright eyes and smile; he waits to see Darren. He almost feels his heart stop at hearing Darren call from the other side of the door, saying he's coming.

Staring at Darren when he slides the door open, his mind goes blank and his heart actually does stop for a second at the mere sight of Darren. Opening his mouth to try and say so many things, he forgoes all that and decides on something simple. "Hi," he whispers, letting a small smile appear on his lips.

Where he thought Darren would be mad and upset and immediately demand answers, even fearing him to turn his back on him, Chris is caught off-guard when Darren is pulling him close and kissing him with nothing short of passion and hunger. Draping his arms over his shoulders, Chris doesn't even break the kiss when his back hits a wall.

The kiss is all teeth and tongue and making sure this is real. It's hard and fast paced that turns to slow and languid until Darren kisses him with urgency once again. Chris can taste where Darren bites down a little too hard on his lower lip, drawing blood. But instead of stopping, it deepens the kiss; seeming to fan the flames of desire licking at their skin. As they urgently kiss, Chris is pretty sure they're close to having sex right here in the hallway outside of Darren's loft where anyone could see.

"How long? How long since we last saw each other?" Chris breathlessly says when Darren finally ends the kiss.

"Um…" Darren trails off, Chris figuring he's going over the time since he left. "It's been ten months since you left."

"Ten months," Chris repeats with shock, unable to wrap his mind around that. "It's been a day for me."

"Pretty sure it was hell for both of us no matter the time." Darren rests his forehead to Chris', closing his eyes and wrapping him up in his arms and holding him close. "I missed you so fucking much."

"Me too," Chris quietly confesses, pressing close to Darren. "But I'm here for good."

"How is this possible?"

"My friend Dianna saved me."

Darren pulls his head back and stares at him, a look of sadness crossing his eyes. "You knew didn't you? You knew when you would leave?"

"Yes," Chris softly replies. "I knew, but I couldn't tell you. I couldn't have you knowing how soon it would be over. I needed you to have that hope of having months, not knowing it would only be days."

"You wrote a letter."

"I did." Chris smiles, cupping the side of Darren's face. "I had to tell you one last time that I loved you. I didn't think I would be able to after I left. But now that I'm here, I will tell you a million times a day. So, get ready to hear it a ton."

"Can I hear it right now?" Darren asks, smiling at him.

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I lov-" Chris moans as Darren capture's his mouth in a passionate and hungry kiss.

"I love you, too," Darren says against his mouth as he continues to kiss him.

"Can I stay? If you'll have me."

"I'll always have you."

Chris trembles at the response, and how it's said. The sound of Darren's voice sure and unwavering. When Darren asks him if he wants to come in, Chris bites his lower lip and smiles, nodding his head. Darren taking his hand in his and walking fills him with happiness and joy like he felt the first time Darren did that at the bar. It has a feeling of completeness washing over him at how right it feels to have Darren's hand in his.

"Oh," Chris says, stopping Darren. He pulls the piece of paper from his pocket. "My friend Dianna said you would understand this." Chris hands him the paper, hoping she was right. He watches Darren study the numbers written down on it, seeing him grin wide as recognition fills his eyes. "What is it?"

"Remember when you said you'd find a way to pay me back?" Darren asks; Chris nods his head at the memory. "You're friend just made that possible. She gave you a secure future."

"I still don't understand," Chris says confused.

"I'll explain later." Darren sets the paper on the small table near the kitchen area.

Chris squeals in delight when he wraps his arms around his waist and lifts him off the floor. Kissing him with a fevered urgency, never not wanting to go without the feel of Darren's lips to his again, Chris melts into the touch. "Take me to bed," he murmurs against Darren's lips.

"Whatever you want," Darren tells him with delight, setting him down and walking him backwards to where the bed still is.

Chris knows he can have whatever he wants, now. Anything he desires is his for the taking now that he's free and safe from The Committee. He has the chance at the life he's always wanted, and having Darren there with him makes it a thousand times better.