EPISODE FOUR | A LINK TO THE FUTURE

The TARDIS landed silently. It still didn't have the correct amount of pilots, but three were better than one and at least parking was possible again. "Here we are," the Time Lord said, stepping away from the control panel and towards the door of his ship, followed by the two girls. "Lawndale"

There were a few seconds of silence hanging in the air, before Jane decided to break said silence. "Wait, you brought us back home?" She asked, incredulous. "I mean, okay, there was some kidnapping, and some fighting, and freaking Caligula, but I mean, are you really going to just drop us home? We're just learning to fight this thing!"

"Not quite," the brown-haired man turned around, standing between the girls and the door. "We're in 2014. I need to go check on something." He let his eyes glance over Daria for a moment. She'd been awfully quiet since they'd returned to the TARDIS, even Jane had noticed. The black-haired girl just assumed Daria would talk once she was ready, but Hunter wasn't so sure – which is why he used the TARDIS to check if she was okay. He didn't mean to pry, not really. It was just a quick check, to see how she was dealing with the whole being captured thing. To see if she needed to talk to someone. But what he found instead changed the focus of everything. Lupo Cattivo. The Big Bad Wolf. A woman, a young woman with dirty blonde hair – actual dirty hair, not dark blonde –, ragged dirty clothes, deep brown eyes. She was just a woman, Bad Wolf was just a name.

But it wasn't. It clicked on Hunter's mind, like a song you know you've heard before but you're not sure when or where, or even what song it is. You just know you've heard it before. So Hunter looked, he looked for hours on end, all over time and space, for this Bad Wolf. And he found her. He found her again and again and again. He found the words Bad Wolf painted on the walls, broadcasted on television and radio, he saw the blonde woman watching over him – just a face in the crowd back then, one of the countless nameless people caught in the middle of the Time War before he chose to leave. He found the lullaby he used to hear as a child, the fairy tales, the plush toy he used to hug it on his sleep. Bad Wolf had been there his whole life. No, not only his life. Daria had a plush doll too. Jane had a painting on her wall, of someone who was a woman and a wolf – La Loba.

The Time Lord had been silent for almost a minute now, both girls staring directly at him. "And…?" Jane spoke again, somewhat uncomfortable with the silence.

"Right. I need to go check on something." Hunter shook his head, going over his plan on his head once again. It wasn't that bright, but it was the best he could do. "Meanwhile you too are free to, you know, walk around and everything. Just-"

"Sweet!" Jane interrupted him, a big grin on her lips. "Come on, Daria, let's find out the lottery numbers for when we go back home"

Hunter stood blocking the way. "Just don't cross your own timeline, ok?" he crossed his arms, trying to maintain a serious non-psychotic expression. "I'm serious. You have no idea how much it would fuck everything up if you were to just run into your future selves."

Jane faked concern. "Dude, language."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Come on, you're, like, 25!"

The girls just stared at him for a moment. "We're seventeen." Daria spoke up for the first time in a while. It was Hunter's turn to stare at them, a silent oh on his lips.

"Sorry," he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly after a while. "You all just kind of look alike to me." This didn't seem to help his cause.


As the girls walked through the streets of Lawndale, they were somewhat disappointed. It all looked just so… similar. Sure, some things were different – the people were dressed differently. They walked past a group of girls dressed much like a mixture of Daria and Jane. "Dude, I'm telling you" one of the girls spoke up, she had glasses like Daria's and a weird phone on her hand (it was so small!). "The original is like a million times better than the remake!" said the voice that sounded so much like Quinn's it was uncomfortable. Daria and Jane traded glances as they walked away.

"Is it just me, or we're this generation's Fashion Club?" Daria asked, wondering if the popular kids were now unpopular.

"Has the world gone mad?" Jane asked in not-so-fake shock.


The Time Lord stood in front of the house awkwardly, waiting after ringing the bell. He heard steps on the other side, a voice called 'coming!' and in a few seconds the door was open. Standing in front of him was a woman on her early-30s. She wore a green leather jacket over a white shirt, black jeans and a pair of old combat boots. Her brown hair was cut just below her shoulder, she didn't have any glasses anymore, and as her brown eyes examined him, her unpainted lips curled in a smirk. "So that's what we're doing in the future.


Daria and Jane stood in front of the old Lane house – that definitely looked different, like it could use some painting or maybe a wrecking ball to its metaphorical face. "I'm not sure this is a good idea," Daria bit her lip nervously.

"Oh, come on Daria, don't be a party poop" Jane poked, turning to look at her friend. "We've graduated 12 years ago, I'm sure I moved out by now".

The door was opened to reveal Jane's older brother Trent. The trio stood staring at each other for a few moments. Trent had a growing gut, he'd be on his late 30s or early 40s by now and his face definitely showed it. His goatee had been replaced by a full own stubble, his hairline receding drastically in the past 15 years or so. He still wore the same clothes, or at least large versions of the same clothes, and by the looks of it, he still wasn't a rock star. Jane and Daria, on the other hand, looked like they hadn't changed a thing in that time – because they hadn't been through the last 15 years yet. Above them, the sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky.

"Woa, Janey-" Trent spoke after a while, his voice hoarse like he'd just woken up. "You're alive." Both girls stared at him in shock as his eyes shot open at the realization. "Holy shit, Janey!" the failed rock star stepped up, wrapping his arms around his little sister. "How are you doing that?"

"I'm just standing here" was Jane's response, still somewhat surprised. "What do you mean I'm alive?"

Trent let her go and watched her for a moment. "You really don't know?" he asked, eyes going from Jane to Daria and back to Jane until it finally dawned on him. "Wait a sec- you guys aren't from around here, are you?"

"If by around here you mean whatever year this is, then no" Daria spoke, her voice too dry to be sarcastic. "Now do you mind explaining why you're surprised Jane's alive?"

"Oh man, I'm not supposed to tell you…" Trent spoke, stepping back inside. "You may come in." were his next words, spoken as if he'd rehearsed them.

"Uh, thanks?" Jane raised her eyebrows, stepping inside – followed closely by Daria, who closed the door behind them.

"Daria told me not to talk to you." Trent said after a few moments of quiet.

"I told you not to talk to us?"

"No, not you" Trent kept looking at her. "Hey, you're wearing glasses again!"

"Still" Jane corrected him, glad to see some things hadn't change.

"Right. Yeah, still." He bit his lip. "Do you guys want a beer?"

"We're seventeen" Daria had to inform the oldest person in the room for the second time in a row.

"Hey, I could use a beer" Jane shrugged, and Daria glared at her. "What? I'm dead anyways."


Hunter sat at the living room of the new-old Morgendorffer home, waiting for Daria to return with two cups of tea. "So you still live here?"

"Me and the guys," came the answer from the kitchen. "But right now it's just me here." Hunter stayed silent, and the woman kept going. "Our parents moved to California a couple of years ago after they retired." She entered the room holding two cups of chamomile tea, Hunter's favorite as she remembered. "You just called me from there, actually"

"I did?" he asked, taking a sip of his cup.

Daria laughed. "Hell no. You're too busy with your new boyfriend to pick up the damn phone". Hunter had no idea what she was talking about, but it was good to know he hadn't died yet. "But I mean, the last I heard you were going to California for real. So, you know, don't go there now."

Hunter nodded. "What do you know about the Bad Wolf?"


"So…" Trent tried to look for something to say. Everything was so quiet.

"So, you still live here!" Jane spoke, her voice a bit too cheerful. She was clearly trying to avoid the big dead elephant in the room.

"Me and the guys" he shrugged.

"Are you still named Mystik Spiral?" Daria asked again, some of the sarcasm back in her voice.

"Yeah"

Silence once again.


"That's right, it was around that time…" Daria thought out loud. "What do you want to know?"

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I can't tell you."

"Can you tell me anything about it?"

"Not really."


The girls left the old Lane house around nightfall. ("Daria, you're wearing glasses again!" called one of the other band member as he walked past them. "We all live here, now" was Trent's response). They walked aimlessly for a little while, Daria trying to cheer up her best friend – but not really doing a great job. But then again, she was Daria.

"You want to go to the school and see if Mr. DeMartino's eye have popped out already?" Daria tried, but Jane didn't say anything. "Or we could go look for Kevin and Brittany. I'm sure seeing them fail in the real world will put a smile on your face!" Silence once again. "Want to see if Sick, Sad World is still on?"

"I'm going to die, Daria."

The girl in glasses swallowed hard at that. She tried to keep her head clear, think it through logically. "We don't know that for sure. Trent might have been mistaken. Wouldn't be the first time."

"He wasn't."

"You're not going to die." Daria spoke again after a few moments. "I won't let you."

"You won't let me?" Jane raised an eyebrow.

"I won't let you. If I have to kill the grim reaper myself." They stopped and Daria turned to her best friend, offering the closest thing to a supportive smile she could. "I know where Hunter keeps his alien guns, you know? Death is no match for alien guns."

Jane let out a short laugh, and Dariae wrapped her arms around her friend. "You are not going to die."


The door under the Morgendorffers' stairs opened, and through came Jane Lane. She still looked 18, but her eyes were a lot older. "That's an oldie," she spoke, her red lips curling into a smile. "Did you finally figure out how to repeat faces?"

Hunter stared at her for a moment. "No, I-"

"Remember that time we came to 2014?" Daria asked, looking over her shoulder and realization dawned on Jane.

"Oh. Oh. So we're that thing you had to check!" Jane walks towards the duo, her hair like she'd just woken up. "That's cute."

"He was asking about the Bad Wolf" Daria told her and Jane let out a laugh.

"Oh, that's right, that hasn't happened yet" Jane shook her head. "Man, that was great"

Hunter just stared at them for a moment.


"Hm, Daria, I don't think we're supposed to be here." Jane turned to look at her friend. It was night now, and they still hadn't heard from Hunter, so Daria decided to go to her place. ("We'll find future me and she'll tell you all about how there's no way in hell you die"). They were about to knock on the Morgendorffer door when a familiar voice caught their attention.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the woman asked, her voice somehow deeper than it used to be. "You know this is private property and all, so I can, like, legally shoot you and stuff"

Both girls turned around to find Quinn staring at them with the tiniest of guns on her hands – a pink one, with glitter. The redhead was caught by surprise, but dropped her gun almost instantly. "Oh my gosh you guys, look at you!"

"See? Quinn's not surprised you're alive." Daria turned to her friend with a smile

"You're alive?" Quinn seemed surprised by that.

The door opened, and through it came Hunter, Daria, and Jane. Both Darias and Both Janes stared at each other for a moment. "I look alive." Jane spoke for a moment.

"I told you." Daria smiled, trying not to sound too relieved. She didn't want Jane to know she was freaking out.

Hunter held his head on his hand. "What did I tell you about crossing your own timeline?"

"Trent told me I was dead" Jane shrugs. "Daria told me he was high."

"He probably was," the older Daria smirked.

"But you are dead." Future Jane finished. "Well, I'm dead. Ish."

"Don't tell her anything else" Hunter jumped in. "Laws of time, remember?"

"Right" Not-so-dead Jane nodded, turning to her younger – but virtually identical – self. "Sorry kid, we don't want reality to explode."

"Have you seen reality?" Future Daria asked, the familiar sarcasm on her voice. "It kind of sucks."

The younger Daria and Jane let out a laugh at that. Jane seemed somewhat relieved to see that she wasn't as dead as she'd originally thought.


The group returned to their TARDIS, but instead of the nagging Daria and Jane were expecting ("I told you! The one thing you couldn't do! And you literally knocked at your own doors!"), the Time Lord wrapped his arms around both girls. Neither of them said anything for a while.