AN: Here is the next Chapter. It has many "Good bye's" in it and a promise of new beginnings. I hope you like it. And please tell me, what you think about the story so far. I appreciate each and every review.

Tony had packed his bags and Althea would take him to the airport. The last three days were passed by with mixed emotions. He had a wonderful time here in New York. It was the first time, as far he could remember, that he had lived without thinking about project Tic Toc, or any other scientific problem. He had simply lived. Althea, who was very spirited, had acquainted him to the New York lifestyle. She led him to a discotheque. He didn't like the loud and unknown music, but he liked the way how Althea danced with him, even if he felt quite awkward. They ate in fancy restaurants and went to the galleries, she persuaded him to go ice skating and she introduced some friends of her to him. When they were at her home, the house she had from her great-grandmother, she told him about her work, they watched TV and she taught him to use all the, for him new, technologies. He was a scientist and it don't took him long, to comprehend all this things. Since she was the spitting image of her great-grandmother, Tony was soon in love with her. Althea, who grew up with, from memory glorified, stories about the dark-haired mysterious hero, who saved the life of her great-grandmother, fell also in love with Tony.

As she initiated the first Kiss between them at Doug's and Ann's wedding, she found his resistance charming. When he insisted that he would sleep in the guest-room of her house, she laughed about his shyness. But when Tony asked after two weeks of getting to know each other, if she would consider to marry him, Althea took it very serious. She didn't want to hurt him, but this was going to fast. She tried to explain, that nowadays a marriage wasn't the biggest thing and that they could live together, without being committed to each other.

Whether Tony really did not understand, or just did not wanted to, remained open. Then Althea told him about her plans for the new year. She would go back to England in April and finish her work there. Her Mentor had called her and made it clear, that he would need her knowledge.

"Look, Tony, I ...my feelings for you are so new. It's certainly more than only friendship, but time will tell, if we are meant to be together."

Short before his vacation came to an end, Tony asked her again, if she had thought about what he had said, but Althea, who sometimes felt as if Tony saw her great-grandmother in herself, begged him to be patient. They would meet until she had to return to England and what came after, would have to be seen.

Now, sitting in Althea's car, Tony was torn between love and disappointment. Tony, who had moved out after a short time from the guest rooms, had kept Althea very close during the night and their last lovemaking in the morning had a touch of desperation. Holding hands they went to the departure lounge and Althea kissed Tony with passion and whispered in his ear, that she would come to Colorado as soon as possible. He kissed her back.

"I will waiting for you, Althea. I will call you, if I have arrived."

"Good, give my best to Ann and Doug. And of course to Angie."

Tony smiled for the first time at this day.

"I'll have to behave myself, Angie will have an eye on me."

"You can be sure of that!"

They shared a last kiss and Tony had to hurry because the last call for his flight came from the speakers.

Tony had nearly forgotten, that he could be recognized as one of the first time travelers of mankind. Although he had a 1. class flight, and sat alone in the last row, he felt the glances from a middle aged man. Closing his eyes, he tried to think about Althea, but unbidden came the phone call from Doug to his mind. They had talked about the future for project Tic Toc. Doug and Ann were at this time in Arizona and supervised the dismantling of the tunnel and the control mechanism. After all data were extracted, the over aged processors would be shut down. Doug himself take all data to Colorado. Then Doug had asked him, if he wanted him and Ann to take care of his belongings, so that he had no need to come to Arizona. Tony laughed and told his friend, that he hasn't much, to take care of, but that he would appreciate it, when Doug brought his disk collection, his photo albums and a chest with all the things, he was attached to. His friend sounded relaxed and when Tony asked him, if he was happy, he only laughed and told him, that, although they had missed thirty years, he was sure, they belonged in this millennium.

Doug and Anne would go by car to Colorado and Doug told him, that both were eager to see him. Tony had learned, that hardly anyone of his family were alive. A couple of cousins, that he did not even know by name. He smiled by himself. Ether Ann nor Doug had living relatives, they all were a bunch of lonely people. No, that wasn't true. Maybe they were alone, but not lonely. He remembered that Althea said, Family were not necessarily people from the same blood, but with the same mind. She was right. Ann was like a sister for him und Doug somehow between a big brother and a friend.

He must have dozed off. He awoke as the stewardess touched him on the shoulder.

"Dr. Newman? We are almost in Dallas, you have a connection flight to Colorado Springs in two hours."

Tony nodded and fastened his seat belt.

The Dallas Airport was big and crowded, Tony get his luggage and searched for the departure lounge for the flight to Colorado Springs. At the counter they told him, that the flight would have a delay from one hour. He found a little Chinese restaurant and ordered a light meal.

"May I join you?"

Tony looked up from his newspaper, to see the man from his former flight.

He looked around, but seemingly every seat was taken. So he nodded.

"Of course."

The man was a friendly fellow and introduced himself as Henry Trenton.

They made inconsequential conversation until Trenton asked:

"Where do you go to?"

"Colorado Springs":

"Mmh, nice town, Dr. Newman."

Tony, who has not presented himself to Trenton, looked at the man with curiosity.

"From where do you know my name?"

Trenton smiled.

"But Dr. Newman, you are famous."

He pointed at the newspaper and when Tony looked, he saw a photo with him, Ann and Doug.

"What do you want from me, Mr. Trenton? An autograph?"

"I only want to talk. To shorten the wait. I've read all about you and your friends. To think to travel into the past or the future, I find it fascinating."

Tony laughed.

"Fascinating, indeed. But only, when you can be sure, that you can go back into your own time."

Trenton shook his head.

"And when someone want to live in the past or the future?"

"Mr. Trenton, time travel isn't a game. We do know not nearly enough about the consequences. Hypothetically, we can send someone to a certain time and if he wants to stay there, you can arrange it. But only hypothetically."

"I'm a business man, Dr. Newman and always on the search for new capital expenditures. How far fetched is the idea, to make a fortune with time travels?"

Newman had to suppress a smile.

"I would say, very far fetched. Look, Mr. Trenton, we, my friends and I will continue our research, but we are only at the beginning."

"But you traveled through time. I've read about your adventures."

"What do you have in mind? A travel agency for adventure trips? Or for time trips with no return? You have much phantasy, Mr. Trenton, but regular time travel is a utopia. The time travels, my friends and me had made, were an accident. We have learned a lot about time, but to make this safe, we must doing much more research, you know."

Trenton nodded.

"What a pity. But, if I may ask, would you tell me about your adventures?"

Tony stood up.

"My flight is called. Sorry!"

Trenton also rose.

"I'm on the way to Colorado Springs, too."

"You have business there?"

"No, my wife and I live there. We have a little house and my wife is a gynecologist at the St. Francis medical center. When you are settled, we would be happy if you and, of course, your friends could visit us."

"Thank you, Mr. Trenton, we will see. But now, let us catch our flight."

********************************TT**************** **********************

Ann looked around the control center, it was a strange feeling to see the formerly so familiar surrounding in disarray. The tunnel was deinstalled and on the way to Colorado. Doug and she had saved all data. Ray would stay for two more days, to supervise the rest of the work. It was time to say good bye to an important part of her life. But she wasn't unhappy at all. She had proven herself to be strong when she was in the past searching for Doug and Tony. Now she had the feeling, she could conquer all what may come into her way. And she wasn't alone anymore. She smiled at Doug, who came from the elevator. Sometimes she could not believe that it was not just a dream, that she really was married to Doug.

Phillips has spotted her and came over.

"Hi, dearest. Are you ready?"

Dougs arm went around her waist and he kissed her on the cheek.

"In a moment, I take only my leave from this place."

"Are you sad to leave this behind?"

Ann snuggled closer to him.

"No, not really. It's mixed emotions, Doug. On one hand I have learned here a lot, we even got married here, but now I am looking forward to a new beginning."

They shared a stealthy kiss.

Doug patted her hip.

"We have to pack our belongings, I' want to be on the way in the early morning hours."

"Okay, what is with Tony's things?"

"Packed and in the air container! As will be the most of our possessions."

Ann took a look at her watch.

"I haven't much more to pack. My back pack is untouched, the most of my clothes are outdated and can stay here. The other things are already in the air container. We have a lot of time.

Doug smiled.

"I'm ready, too. We need not much for our trip. If it is alright with you, we could use a little sleep, before we hit the road."

Ann gave her husband a mischievous grin.

"So we are going to sleep in our old quarters? Like in former times?"

Doug frowned.

"Yes."

Ann suppressed a smile.

"Okay, darling, then sleep well. We see us in the morning."

Astonished he took hold of her arm, when she tried to get away.

"What do you mean?"

She chuckled.

"In former times we slept apart from each other."

Doug scooped her up and carried her to the elevator.

"No way, my love. I never want to be separated from you, especially not in bed."

After a cup of coffee and a quick good bye to Ray, who would fly to Colorado, they were on the way, with Dougs old, but strikingly good looking Cadillac. His guitar on the back seat, besides her back pack they drove with the open cabriolet into the sunrise.

Ann wore a shawl around her hair and grasped for her sunglasses, observed from Doug.

"You look beautiful."

"Oh, thank you, Doug."

She smiled at him.

"You don't look so bad yourself, sweetheart."

She caressed his right hand.

"I can drive later, if you are tired. I mean, if you trust me with your car."

"I have trusted you with my life! Of course I will let you drive."

They were silent for a while, then Ann said:

"Have I told you, that something is vanished from my back pack?"

"No, what is vanished?"

Ann hesitated.

"You know, I had begun to write a diary, I mean, in the past, when I was searching and waiting for you and Tony. I always had it in my pack pack. But it has vanished while we were transferred back."

"You are sure, it was in the back pack, when we came back?"

"Yes, I was coming from my special place by the waterfall and I had it with me. I had written something while I was there alone."

"So you had a special place there?"

"Yes, I have always wished to show it to you."

Doug was silent for a couple of minutes.

"Do you think often about this time, about our adventures?"

"Yes, I do. It wasn't all bad. We were free, almost, in a way. Don't you think so?"

"You're right. Do you wish, that we had stayed?"

"No, Doug. And ...for me it was important to be with you and now I am."

"Do you still have that dress you wore?"

"Yes, I have it with me. And I knew, I had the diary in the back pack and it was vanished, when I took a first look to see, if Maireads books were therein."

"Was it important, what you have written?"

"Important? No, It were random thoughts I had at this afternoon. I only hope it is vanished, because I have written it in the very distant past and not that anyone had taken it away."

"So is it something embarrassing?" Doug grinned.

When he saw Ann blushing, he lowered his voice.

"Would you tell me about it?"

The blush in her cheeks deepened.

"Maybe, but not now."

"Why ever not?"

"Doug! No I can't tell you now. Because you drive, and...maybe I will distract you, with these thoughts, that I had at this time."

Ann smirked and laid her head at his shoulder.

He was serious again.

"We have to analyze all data from our re-transfer, but I think, the diary is vanished, because it was an item from that time."

Ann nodded.

"Yes, that sounds logical, but why the diary and not my dress?"

Doug wondered about the same thing.

"We have much work before us. But, one step after the other. Have you thought about where you would like to live? Jerry has told me, that at the outskirts of Colorado Springs a rural settlement came into existence, with a good junction to the city. And we would be nearby the new Tic Toc Complex. On the other hand, we could live in the crew accommodations."

"What do you want? As long I can live with you, it isn't important, where I live."

With a brilliant smile he looked at her.

"I love you, Ann. And I wish for us to have a house of our own. A place where we can draw back, if we are need rest from the work or privacy from the people, which are around us. A place, where we can be alone together."

"Then we will search for a house."

Doug took her left hand in his right one.

"And that is also a kind of good bye."

"How so?"

"From our bachelor days in confined quarters!"

Ann laughed so hard, that she got a hiccup.

*****************************TT******************* ***************

General Kirk walked through the snow to the new Control center. With a curious look to the gigantic cave, which soon would held the tunnel helices, he entered the building. Dr. Briggs and Dr. Malcolm, who had a fierce discussion with some of the technicians, saw him coming and Jerry excused himself from the group and went to Kirk.

"General, we have problems. With all the snow, the trucks do not come up here. But we need the fiber optic cable and other accessories."

"I know Jerry, we will gave all necessary things an airlift by helicopter. Have Doug and Ann arrived?"

"No, Sir. Not yet."

Briggs saw that Angie waited for him. A sort of friendship was formed between them, after the cinema visit. He liked Angie, she was good company and he couldn't deny, that she was a beautiful woman. And it wasn't her fault, that she reminded him of Dr. Ann MacGregor, no, Dr. MacGregor-Phillips. As much as he wished to forget his infatuation with Ann, he held tight on the hope, that Ann regretted her marriage and came to Colorado disappointed and ready to fall in love again, preferably with him. If he was rational, he knew that this was a pipe dream, but he couldn't help himself.

So he told himself, that he would wait for the arrival of Ann and Doug and then look for some sign, that Ann was unhappy.

Now he went over to Angie, who had her cell phone in hand.

"Hi Jerry, I have a text message from Ann. The two are in the hotel, where we had booked rooms. The Chevy can't make it up here. But they will be here soon. Until then we will take care of the preparations regarding the lighting of the tunnel cave."

When Jerry wasn't following her, she called him:

"Hey Jerry, are you coming or what?"

But then she saw, what halted him.

Dr. Phillips and his wife had entered the building and greeted General Kirk.

Jerry couldn't tear his eyes of them.

Ann, beaming with happiness at the arm of her equally happy looking husband, came over to Angie and Jerry. Ann embraced the female physicist and hugged Jerry as well, while Doug shook hands with Briggs and gave Angie a short hug. Nigel Partridge came from the cave and they soon sat all together in the small restaurant outside of the building.

Jerry continued with his observation of Ann MacGregor-Phillips, only to realize that Ann had eyes only for Doug and did not leave his side.

When the conversation turned to more private matters, Jerry excused himself and went back to the building. Angie found him staring into nothingness.

"Jerry?"

"Leave me be."

"I will, but first, I will tell you something."

"I not inclined to listen."

"I know. I would leave you, if I'm convinced that you come to your senses. Listen to me, Jerry. You have to say good bye to this unhealthy feeling for Ann. She doesn't love you, she loves Doug. Everybody can see it."

"You are so mean."

"Maybe I am mean, Jerry, but I am also your friend. And I think it better I tell you the truth, than that Ann has to do it or worse, Doug. They are happy and you have no right whatsoever, to interfere with this happiness. Think about it and if you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen."

With this she let him standing, where he was and walked back to the restaurant.

Three days later the first pieces of the tunnel arrived and were placed into the cave. Doug, Nigel and Ray took a closer look at them. Doug let his hand wander over the surface of the cave.

"Ray, is this metal?"

"It's stone with iron ore. When we prepared this cave, we used a new tool, which polished the walls. This special shimmer hails from the polishing."

"Really iron ore? "

"Yes Doug, I have seen the expert report."

"Okay, we can do nothing more at the moment. If it is alright with you, Ray, Ann and I will call it a day. We want to tour some houses."

"Good luck!"

****************TT**********************

Doug embraced his wife.

"Unbelievable, we own a house!"

"And what is much better, it is furnished. We can move in at once."

After they shared a prolonged kiss, Doug whispered in her ear:

"But I want to make some changes. And maybe you like to buy some personal things?"

"You are right. Fortunately we have time, the project develop only slowly."

Phillips fetched his cell phone.

"I will make a call to Tony."

"Give him my best!"

The team sat together at their hotel in Colorado Springs, when Tony arrived. Doug had met him at the airport. At the hotel, Tony got an enthusiastic reception, that left him speechless for some minutes. When Angie Malcolm waved him over and gave him her cell phone, he said laughing.

"Hi, Tony Newman here."

Angie, who knew, who was calling, looked at Tony with worry.

She saw him nodding and saying, yes, yes, for a couple of times, and then he said:

"It's okay, Althea, I understand, nothing to worry about. We will see us later, Good luck in Europe. Yes, me too. Good bye, darling."

He gave the cell phone back to Angie.

"Greetings from Althea, she has to travel to England immediately. Her mentor has urgently requested her."

Doug passed his friend a drink and made a toast.

"Here's to our project, to all the goodbyes in our life's and to a successful new beginning!"

TBC...