HopelessRomantic1994: Hopefully this chapter will answer your questions :)

FeliciaTheGoat: Aww thanks! I'm sure you're a great writer, you should put a story up sometime! :)

mozzi-girl: Thank you so much!

Abbzcadabbz22: Cliffhangers are the worse, but I'm sure they're will be more!

NiekaWow: Thank you so much! I'm glad I was able to clear up your confusion, but I'll go ahead and put it on here again for anyone else who was confused. Ken and Lauren are sisters, and are Mal's and Natara's kids. Agent Rose is actually present day Natara but that is the name she is going by in this future.

The Beautiful Filth: Thanks so much! I always knew that if I wrote a story involving the kids of Mal and Natara, I would name their son Ken to honor you know who. The "Special Agent Fallon" that is mentioned in the story summary refers to Ken Fallon, I just didn't want to put his name in the summary. Captain Fallon is future Mal, and Detective Fallon is Lauren.

RavioliRavioli: Thank you! That means a lot!

Alright so I'm pretty sure this story is going to start getting really confusing, so if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me and I will do my best to explain without giving anything away. Here's Chapter 3! It's mostly talking but that's because this chapter answers a lot of questions. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 3: Some Explaining To Do

"Well Natara, I was wondering when you would show up," Mal says with a smirk. In that exact moment, even though there were still a million questions racing through my mind, they were all silenced by that sentence. "You, you know it's me? How?" I stutter. Mal chuckles. "I think I would recognize my wife, no matter how old she is." He looks down at my hand to see that I don't have a ring. "Oops, spoiler alert. I meant future wife. I'm old, I forget things." Hearing him call me his wife gives me butterflies. The good kind. But I shake it off and continue to ask questions. "Why are you acting so normal about this? What do you mean you were expecting me?"

A look of confusion spreads across his face. He speaks slowly. "You. . .don't remember. . . why you're here?" "Of couse not!" I exclaim. "I'm supposed to know why I woke up thirty years in the future with a different life and just go with it?" He looks away, deep in thought. "You should have remembered. . . That's weird." I wave my arms angrily, as to signify that I have no idea what's going on. "Care to explain?" He sits back down in his office chair and waves to the seat in front of his, and I follow suit and sit across from him. "Okay well, it was 2013, and we had just started investigating the Shane Brown murder." I nod in remembrance. "These guys from the CIA came and said they wanted to talk to us. They filled us in on what was going on, and apparently, the murderer was a dangerous individual from the year 2080. His name was, or is, Blake Sharpe, 30 years old. His parents were major contributors to the time travel science. Blake had always had psychotic problems, and one day, he snapped and murdered his parents for no reason. He stole their current project, which was a top of the line time travel suit, and has been going on a time traveling killing spree. We think he kills in different times before he was born to avoid being caught, since you can't collect evidence on someone who doesn't exist yet. And he uses 2043 as his sort of 'home base'." I interrupted him. "What does that have to do with me?" Mal coughs before continuing. "Well, the possibility for time travel had just been newly and secretly invented in 2013, and the CIA wanted us to help take him down by sending us into the future to assist the law enforcement authorities." "Why did they need us?" "Shane Brown needed justice just as much as any of the other people Blake killed. Just because someone kills in a different time, doesn't mean you still don't have jurisdiction here." I'm still wracked with confusion. "Where's Mal then? My Mal?" "Time travel was still new, they could only send one person at a time, and you stepped up, much to my disagreement. A memory flashes across my mind.

"So only one of us can go?" asks Natara. "Yes." "I'll go." "No, Natara I'll go. You have no idea what might happen. It's the future." Natara remains persistent. "They could use my profiling skills. My approach may be different and this killer seems unstable enough to crack. Besides, it'll be cool to see what lies ahead." One of the agents cuts in. "The future is delicate. Nothing is set in stone." Mal and Natara glance at him and turn back to one another. Mal gives in. "Fine. You can go. But you need to stay safe." Natara gives Mal's hand a squeeze. "I'll be safe. Promise." She turns back to the CIA agents. "So how is this going to work? Do I just show up unannounced?" "No. We already have an identity set up for you and everything. You're name will be Elizabeth Rose and you're a Special Agent with the FBI. And you won't arrive totally unannounced. We've confirmed Mal Fallon's presence in the year 2043 and he should be expecting you." The agents look at Mal. "What? I'll remember about her, don't worry."

"I still don't understand why they just couldn't use you and future me to help," I inquire. "Well, for starters, I'm a 65 year old man and you're 63, I don't foresee us chasing down any killers, especially time traveling ones. Plus, you're retired and currently on vacation with Neha in Florida. It's really nice this time of year," he says sarcastically. "That reminds me, why are you still working Mal?" I ask. He leans back in his chair and looks away. "I was waiting for you. Right now, in 2013, I'm pestering the people monitoring your vitals to make sure you're okay. I'm begging the people working the time travel thing, trying to get them to send me so I could help you. But they keep telling me it's not possible. So I made a promise, a promise to myself that if I couldn't help you as 2013 Mal, I would help you as 2043 Mal. But I couldn't do that as some retiree working at his restaurant. No, I would have to be Captain, so I could at least provide you with the power of the SFPD." I smile gratefully. "Thank you. So you're going to retire after we catch this guy? Obviously I help catch him because I'm alive in the future." He shakes his head warningly. "Don't take this for granted. The timeline is fragile. One different move could drastically alter the future. This isn't guaranteed." "I understand." "Stay safe." "I'll be safe. Promise." He grins. "You better get to work. Ken and Lauren are waiting for you in the crime lab. "Shouldn't Ken and Lauren know what we're dealing with?" "I'll fill them in when I "debrief" the three of you later." As I head for the door he calls out, "Don't tell them you're their mom, it might freak them out and cloud their judgment." I roll my eyes. "Yes, because their sanity and judgment is the only one that needs protecting. I'm the one who has to work with my unborn children!" "Exciting, isn't it?" I scoff as I walk out of office and head towards the crime lab.

This is easily the strangest day of my life. I remember volunteering to go through time, but it doesn't seem real. Maybe it's because those memories are still fuzzy, and I don't know why I don't remember. It doesn't take me long to find the crime lab, and when I walk in, I see Ken and Lauren standing around a computer, looking at files of different cases. "Agent Rose, there you are. We were beginning to wonder what happened to you," says Lauren. "What are you guys doing?" I ask. Ken answers, "Looking at old cases. Apparently, there have been three other occurrences where someone was murdered with some crazy weapon and then there was an infinity symbol burned into the forearm. They must have happened so far apart that the old investigators didn't connect the dots or know what they were dealing with." Or Blake just killed these people recently, I think.

After a few hours of reviewing case files and evidence, Ken, Lauren, and I head back to Mal's office, where he explains to them who Blake is and the dangers he poses. He doesn't mention anything about me being from the past or who I really am, so I suppose I have to keep that a secret. "Well, I think you guys have done everything you can for today, so go home and get some rest. Be ready to work hard first thing in the morning," says Mal, dismissing us. Ken and Lauren turn to leave, and I steal one more glance at Mal. He gives me a little smile and a nod. I walk out with Ken and Lauren and listen while they talk. "I still can't believe we're dealing with a time traveling killer. How are we supposed to catch him?" asks Lauren. "I'm not sure, I'm still as confused about this whole thing as you are, but we'll have to work fast to avoid any catastrophes," replies Ken. "In the meantime, we should go out to dinner and catch up," suggests Lauren to Ken. "I was actually going to go see Sara. She is my girlfriend who I haven't seen in a year." "Well I'm your sister. Aren't I important?" Ken sighs. "Of course you are, but we have this whole case together. I'm going to see you everyday. I won't see Sara." "Ugh, fine. Come on Beth, I'll give you a ride back to your place."

While on the way back to my apartment, I try to start a conversation. "So, Detective Lauren, your brother and you seem a lot alike. Is there anything different about you two that I should know?" "Contrary to what Ken may tell you, I'm actually the more charming one," she says with a laugh. "Is that so?" "Yeah, I don't know where he got his social skills, but he uses me as a wing man. I'm the one who had to set him up with Sara. He couldn't even look at her without getting nervous. I think the whole FBI thing boosts his confidence." "I keep hearing about Sara, what's she like?" Lauren's face lights up. "She's the sweetest girl ever. She's nice and polite to everyone she meets. She's a professional chef at this fancy restaurant and runs a book club in her free time. She's got the most gorgeous blond hair you'll ever see, and a smile that could light up a room. Plus, she's the only girl that has stuck around when Ken leaves for the FBI, and is always waiting for him to return. They're perfect for each other and I couldn't imagine my brother being with anyone else." "She does sound perfect." As we approach my apartment, I turn to look out the window of the car. I could have sworn I saw what looked like a glowing motorcycle driver rush past us, and look into our car, meeting my gaze. But it all happened in a matter of a second, so I didn't think much of it. "Thanks for the ride, Detective." "Please, call me Lauren, and no problem. Ken or I will be here to pick you up in the morning." "Sounds good."

And with that, she drove off and I made my way up to my temporary apartment. As soon as I got in the door, I collapsed onto the couch without even bothering to turn the lights on. I just lay there and allow everything that happened today sink in. I still couldn't believe it. After what felt like hours, I sat up and stretched, and that's when I noticed the card on the counter. I walked over slowly and picked it up. It was a plain white business card and a message was written in black sharpie. "Those first victims were just practice. Time for the real fun to begin. - ∞"

So yeah, I know that last part with the car ride was boring, but I believe in the importance of detail. :) I'm kind of unsure where to go from here. Like, I know the ending and what leads up to it, but I'm unsure of how to get there, so bear with me! :)