A/N—Happy weekend! Things are finally looking up and slowing down, so I've been able to focus more on writing. I only have one more scene left to write in this story. Hard to believe. I should have it finished by tomorrow! In the meantime, here's the next chapter, which answers a lot of questions. The chapter after this will pick up right where this one left off. I hope you like it! :D Thanks so much for reading.

The next two weeks were grueling in more ways than one. They studied more than ever, Logan feeling the press of time and insisting that they spend two hours every night on microbiology and radiation. James didn't understand why Logan was focusing so much on that when it was a small part of the final, but when Logan said, "Trust me," James did. He only complained once that Logan ceased their nightly television-watching because he knew that Logan was trying to help him graduate.

Then there was the prom, which James showed every sign of still wanting to go to. Logan decided that the sabotage would have to wait until the day of; maybe he could pretend to be sick that night and James would be worried enough to skip it. Yeah, that might work. Or maybe the tux could mysteriously disappear. Would that keep James home? Possibly. It was an idea, and one of many that Logan put on his mental list.

On top of all of that, Logan was constantly working on a way to open James' mind and steer it toward the radiation theory. His hints didn't seem to be working. Mrs. Simmons finally announced the extra credit assignment in class, to Logan's excitement. This was it, what he'd been working toward from the start. James was at first resistant to it, stating again that he didn't need the boost to his grade, but when Logan reminded him he might get nervous and bomb the final, he backed down and admitted it couldn't hurt. All that was left now was to set the future in motion by guiding James toward his radical theory on radiation and cell manipulation. They were so close, Logan could feel it.

Three days before the final, James informed Logan that he'd come up with his idea for the assignment. Logan was overjoyed. He prompted James to continue, but instead James smirked and said, "It's a surprise."

"What?" They were seated at the dining room table in the Diamond home, books spread out before them and Brooke humming while she made herself a cup of tea in the kitchen. Today was one of her good days, though those were coming less and less.

"It's a surprise," James repeated, proud. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I came up with something that I don't think anyone ever has. It could definitely change the world."

His smugness was adorable, but Logan couldn't afford to leave this to fate. "James, just tell me. I can help you with it, we can write it up together."

"Nope. This one's all me. I mean, I might need your help with the spelling and grammar and stuff, but we can worry about that Thursday night when I finalize it."

Did Logan trust James? He still didn't feel that James knew enough to come up with the complex theory, but then again he'd come up with it once before, right? Without Logan's help. This had to be it, it had to be. "Can you at least tell me what it's about?"

"I could, but I don't want to. I'm gonna make you proud, Logan. I'm gonna write a report so good you won't believe I came up with it."

Before coming here, Logan would've had no trouble believing it. Now at the crucial moment, he was doubting James? What was wrong with him? "Okay. I'm excited to see what you put together. Wow me, James."

"I will." James grinned, then turned that expression on his mother when she stepped out of the kitchen.

"What's that goofy smile for? Did Logan just kiss you?"

"Mom," James whined in exasperation. "We haven't kissed in months! Why do you keep pushing that?"

Brooke shrugged, careful with her hot mug. "A mother can dream, can't she?"

Time to get the conversation away from kissing. "James has come up with an extra credit assignment for biology that's going to wow me."

"Oh?" She halted on the way to the living room.

"Yep," James smiled. "It's gonna wow everybody."

"What's it about?"

"It's a secret," James winked. "Something that nobody ever realized before."

Logan supposed that was true, it would be a groundbreaking theory. "He won't tell me, either."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Well, if it can do anything about how tired I am all the time, let me know."

"I think it actually could, Mom."

"Don't keep me in suspense, James."

"Nope. You guys will just have to read my report Thursday night when it's done. Logan? I'm thinking tacos for dinner."

"When aren't you?" Logan teased. James' comments to Brooke had bolstered his confidence that James was on the right track. "I can take a hint. Brooke? You up to tacos tonight?"

"I think I can stomach one. It's the little joys in life, you know?"

Glancing at James, whose eyes seemed brighter in the green sweatshirt he was currently wearing, Logan nodded. He did know.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

James' excited face was adorable—and contagious. With a laugh because Logan's own excitement that the moment was finally here was about to bubble over, Logan rolled his eyes. "Yes, James, just tell me. Tell me what this mind-shattering theory of yours is!" As if Logan didn't already know. His smile widened.

From the dining room chair next to Logan's, James cleared his throat and reached into his binder. "Okay, so I already typed it up and stuff, but you'll need to go through it for mistakes and—"

"James, the suspense is killing me! Just show me!"

James knew that Logan was about to explode from curiosity. It was such a rare thing for him to see Logan on the edge of his seat that he drew it out a little longer. "Maybe I should have Mom come in here. She was excited about this, too. Logan, could you go upstairs and—"

"James Diamond, if you don't pass me that paper right now I will strangle you." "Paper" was a misnomer, as it was actually a thin packet stapled together. Logan's mouth watered at the sight of it, of the fact that he was about to hold it. Not even the final product either, but a rough draft. He was going to be the very first person to see James' work, the theory that kids everywhere would one day learn in middle school. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. "Hand it over." When James continued to look smug and hold it out of reach, Logan lunged for it.

James laughed as it was ripped from his grasp, and then Logan's eyes skimmed the essay hungrily. The light in them died slowly, taking James' heart along with it. "I know it needs work, but—"

"James. James, what is this?" Logan's hands were numb. The lack of feeling spread up his arms and into his chest, where it caused him to struggle for air. Whatever this was, it wasn't what it was supposed to be.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I even did research. Your mood really does improve with exercise. It's a fact. So imagine if they started making that a regimen for chronically depressed people. It could make a difference! I get up every morning before school just to work out, when I don't I'm not..."

James' voice was like the sound of flies buzzing in Logan's brain. He continued to speak, but Logan tuned it out. His hands were shaking now. What he held in them was an assignment, it was single-spaced and presented a hypothesis while providing facts to back it up. James had definitely done research, there was no doubt of that. He'd even listed programs where it could be implemented. He'd done a damn good job on the assignment, if Logan was honest.

But Logan couldn't be honest in this moment because it wasn't the right assignment. It wasn't even close. James had been secretive over the previous few days, not wanting Logan to see what he was working on until it was finished. Logan had respected that and trusted that everything would fall into place the way it was supposed to. He now realized the grave mistake he'd made.

The assignment was due tomorrow. In twelve hours. How in the world was he supposed to...

"We can fix this."

James stopped talking. He seemed confused at first, then relieved. "Exactly, I just need you to correct the spelling and maybe the—"

"No. It's wrong. But it's not too late, we can still fix this."

James frowned. "Wrong? No, the theory is right. I know it."

"The..." Logan shook his head to clear away the nonsense coming out of James' mouth. "This isn't your project. We'll rework it. Tonight. I was thinking you could do something with radiation and cells, perhaps something that might work against cancer. We've been reading about—"

"Logan, what the fuck are you talking about? This is my report. This is what I'm writing about."

"No, it's not." Seeing that James was starting to get defensive, he amended that. "I mean, it doesn't have to be. You could do something more important, something—"

"This is important. I know you don't get it because you're a nerd and you don't take exercise seriously, but it really does have an impact on mental health. I'm telling you, if—"

"James, just stop talking. You need to listen to me because I know what's best for you. This isn't good enough, you need a project that's—"

James shoved his chair back and stood up, silencing Logan—who realized his error and opened his mouth again to make his point in a way that wasn't so harsh. James didn't let him. "So I'm not good enough. I've worked my ass off for two months, studied everything you threw at me, and it's still not good enough."

Logan's eyes fell shut. "That's not how I meant it. It's a great paper."

"Great, but apparently not good enough. Because Professor Mitchell over here has these high standards of what everyone should be capable of."

"I'm sorry. That came out wrong. It's good, it's just not..."

"Not what you would write, maybe? Not worthy of a genius who expects everyone around him to be just as smart?"

Logan blinked at the snide tone. "No, James, you're taking this wrong. I know you don't get it, but you have to trust me on this. You're capable of so much more than you realize. If you'd just open your mind and think outside the box for a second, you'd—"

"I did, Logan! I worked hard to come up with something that hasn't been done before! I—"

"It has," Logan sighed. "I guarantee it."

James shook his head. "No. You're wrong, I researched the effects of exercise on mental health and I didn't see anything about—what are you doing?"

Logan had pulled out his phone to do a search. The third link down showed an article describing exactly what James' paper did. He clicked on it and passed the phone to James.

James' gaze skimmed the screen and his face fell. "Well...my paper also talks about working it into treatment at—stop doing that!"

Logan had grabbed the phone and changed the search parameters. He easily found a study that was done the year before in a mental institution. When James looked at that one, his breath hitched and his eyes watered.

"I'm sorry," Logan said gently. "It's been done. I could've told you that. You should've asked me ahead of time, or let me help you."

James' head moved from side to side. "The whole point was to do this myself. To make you proud."

"I am proud."

"No you're not, you're disappointed that it isn't better than it is! That it isn't on your level!" Tears spilled over. "Guess what, Logan? I'm not you!"

"James, hold on, don't—"

"No! From the day we started working together, you've tried to make me into something I'm not! When you look at me, it's like you see someone who doesn't exist. I'm not what you think I am, okay?"

"Yes, you are." Logan was trying to remain calm, but all he could think about was the time they were wasting arguing when they should be working on the new project.

"I'm not, Logan! You keep saying I have so much potential, that I'm going to do these great things and be someone special, but it's a lie! This is all I am! I'm just normal, and that's all I'm ever gonna be! I tried, I tried my hardest to impress you, to live up to what you want me to be, and I can't. I can't! Stop trying to turn me into something I'm not!"

Logan was speechless. How long had James been feeling this way?

"I wanted to be what you see in me," James continued. "I wanted to be smart and worthy of someone like you. Instead I'm a disappointment."

"You are not, James."

"I am! I saw your face! I was so excited to show you, and you couldn't even fake being proud. All you could say is 'It's not good enough.' Well fuck you, it's the best I can do! If I'm not good enough, maybe you should find somebody else."

This wasn't happening. It wasn't. They were here, at the finish line, and it was all falling apart. This was wrong, something had gone terribly wrong and there was no time to fix it. Or...was there?

Logan took a deep breath. He rose from his chair and stepped closer to wipe James' tears away with his thumbs. "I don't want somebody else. I want you."

"You want someone I can't be."

"No. You can be that person, you just aren't letting yourself. I promise, he's in there. You just have to trust me and let me—"

"Wow. You just admitted it. Who I am now isn't what you want."

"James, that's not what I said."

James shoved Logan away. "That's exactly what you said! If I just change for you, everything will be fine, right?"

They didn't have time for this. "You're being stubborn. You need to listen to me. I know things that you can't understand, and if—"

"Because you're smarter. I get it, Logan."

Frustration had Logan wanting to scream. "No, James, stop taking this as a personal attack! This isn't about us, it's about something so much bigger than you can imagine!"

"Because I'm dumb. Yep, just keeping digging that hole deeper."

"James, stop it! You're not listening! You have to write a new report! I'll help you, together we can—"

"Fuck that. I'm done." James picked up the paper that Logan had set down and ripped it in half before throwing the pieces into Logan's face. "Write it yourself, Professor."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Oh, I thought you'd like it, since you're so smart and determined to teach me new things."

"You're mocking it, making a joke of everything I worked for."

"Yeah well, go make those dreams come true. Go be valedictorian, go to some fancy university, go be the smartest guy who ever lived. But do it without me, because I'm fucking done being your experiment. What was this whole thing, just a study to see if you can make a dumb guy smart? You failed, Logan."

Logan was stunned. More than anything else, it was James' ability to make everything about himself that shocked Logan. True, he couldn't see the bigger picture, but he wasn't even willing to listen. He'd convinced himself that he was the victim and Logan had been playing him from the start. "You're unbelievable."

"No, I think that's you. Because I believed in you like an idiot. I believed you loved me. For me."

"James, I need you to take a deep breath and clear your head. You're not thinking straight."

"Thinking's not my strong suit. Haven't you learned that yet? If you're looking for someone to mold into your image, you won't find it here. There's the door."

"You're overreacting. This isn't about us. If you would just—"

"You already said that, and I didn't believe it then." James was surprisingly calm for someone on the verge of walking away from the one person he'd thought believed in him. "I'm serious, Logan. Go. We're done."

James spun on his heel and headed toward the swinging door into the kitchen. Logan shook his head. "You think I would walk away? I was willing to chase you across the country. You have a destiny, James."

"We all do, Logan. Turns out ours aren't together."

The door closed behind James. Logan stood in the dining room, frozen, wondering what his next step could be. James hadn't just shut him out, he'd turned the part of himself that loved Logan to stone. Before, he would yell. Before, he would want to punch Logan. This time he'd calmly walked away as if Logan meant nothing to him.

Logan was stumped. He had no idea how to reach a James who felt nothing for him.

Roger, I'm screwed. I messed up. I did what you told me not to do, I got too involved, and now he doesn't even care enough to hate me. I've lost him. He's not going to write that assignment. It's over. I failed.

Devastation started to sink in. Not wanting James to witness it, Logan packed up his belongings and fled.

He ran all the way to the corner before hyperventilation forced him to stop and take deep breaths. This couldn't be over, there had to be a way to fix it. There just had to!

After a minute he started walking, both hands gripping the straps of his backpack to steady himself.

What would Roger do? What would Roger say? He'd tell me to not give up, sure, but what advice would he give me to get that assignment written and turned in by morning? It took me a week to get through James' armor last time, there's no way I can do it overnight! He thinks I don't love him, how do I fix this?

Either Logan was so wrapped up in his own panic or the person who suddenly appeared next to him was just that quiet. She kept pace with him and leaned closer to say, "Rough night?"

Logan nearly jumped out of his skin, heart skittering wildly around his rib cage. Instinct had him moving across the sidewalk fast until he was standing on someone's lawn and staring at her with wide eyes. "You!"

"Yep. Me." It was the girl he'd seen at James' party (and hadn't she been at Jenny's, too?), the one who'd asked if he wanted to dance. Your loss, she'd said both times. Now she came to a halt with hands in the pockets of black jeans that matched the denim jacket she wore over a red t-shirt. Her dark hair hung halfway down her back and her face was devoid of make-up from what Logan could tell in the glow of a nearby streetlight. She offered him a smug smile and asked, "Now would you like to dance with me?"

Was he hallucinating? Maybe she wasn't real. This girl had appeared twice seemingly out of nowhere and done it again tonight. "Where did you come from? I didn't even hear you."

"I'm quiet," she smiled. "It's a talent. Comes in handy when I'm trying to be sneaky."

"Why would you need to be..." Cold fear worked its way up from Logan's toes to his brain as the dots connected. He took another step back. "Are you...why are you here? Why do you keep trying to talk to me?" A part of Logan was afraid he knew the answer to that.

"We're alike, you and me," she winked. "You feel like you don't really fit in, right? Maybe like you're...out of place?" After a pause she added, "Or...out of time?"

Logan's tongue came out to wet his lips. The rest of him seemed to be paralyzed as he stared across the sidewalk at what he now knew was his worst enemy. "James..." he whispered. Brooke had gone to dinner at Jennifer's, meaning that James was alone in the house now. Unprotected. Unsafe. "James!" He started to run but didn't get far. The girl was stronger than she looked and when she reached out a hand to grip his bicep in passing, it was enough to keep him from moving forward. "Let me go! I have to—"

"He's fine." Her hand didn't let up. Logan continued to struggle so that she placed a heavy leather boot on his foot to help her cause. "Relax."

"Ow! That hurts!" But of course it hurt. It wasn't like she was here to be nice, was it? How had he been so stupid to focus on the too-obvious choices for an enemy when the real one had been in his face all along?

"Then stop trying to run. And be quiet, you'll call attention to us."

"Good, maybe they'll call the cops and stop you! You're a murderer!"

One hand still held his arm tight enough to leave bruises, a foot pressed down on his, and now a second hand came up to muffle his mouth. "Will you shut up?!"

Logan tipped his head back to speak. "No, because you're going to hurt him. You're going to kill him! The most beautiful man to ever live, and you're going to snuff out that bright light."

The girl's hands dropped away, but her foot stayed in place. With a disgusted look, she said, "You know, this drama streak is embarrassing."

Fear was giving way to despair. He'd failed and now they'd double the blow by hurting the man he loved. Logan's shoulders dropped, voice trembling when he spoke again. "Look, just...I messed up, okay? You won. He's not doing the assignment. There's no way to convince him and get it written before morning, so you get your way. Just...please. Don't hurt him. I know there's not a lot of time left before everyone dies, but please give him that. Let him live as long as he can, let him be with his mom until the end. Don't rob him of that time, he deserves it. They all do."

"Oh my god, stop this torture. This isn't what I signed up for." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to throw up."

"I don't care what you do as long as you don't hurt him. I failed but don't let him suffer for it. Please."

She shook her head and looked up at the sky. "Give me strength. I thought you were smart." She let out a long breath. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you?" Logan's nonplussed expression was her answer. She lifted her boot off of him and spun to face the other direction, which was Logan's original path. "Walk with me."

"What?"

"Walk with me." More commanding this time. "Let's walk and talk."

"James' house is the other way."

"Thanks for that information. If I hadn't already been there and was in fact planning to hurt him, it might come in handy." She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

Logan hesitated. "Do you swear to me that James isn't in any danger?"

"Not that I'm aware of. This isn't about him."

His gaze narrowed at her. "Of course it is. He was my mission."

The girl nodded, black tresses bouncing against the jacket. "That's correct. But you are mine."

Logan blinked rapidly. "I'm...what? I'm your mission?"

"Logan, come on. Time is money." She suddenly giggled. "I've always wanted to say that. One of those weird sayings from this era that I still don't understand, but it's funny, right? I mean, how can time be money?"

"I suppose wasting time can cost money in the proper circumstances. A job, for example."

She grinned. "There's that nerd I know and love. Seriously, though, walk with me. We're running out of time."

Wondering if the girl might be unbalanced (and it wouldn't surprise Logan, considering who she worked for), he slowly started to move. He still didn't trust her, but the more they walked, the further they were from James—ergo, the safer he was. She strode on when he arrived at her side, and Logan followed. "What did you mean when you said I'm your mission? I thought you were the bad guy."

"I was. I was sent here to stop you. Not your precious James, which I can't believe you didn't figure out on your own by now. All this time I just assumed you did. Imagine, such a genius not seeing what's right in front of his face."

"Will you just stop talking in riddles and tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Fine, fine. James Diamond never wrote that assignment."

"I'm aware of that. He just kicked me out of his house and without me, it won't get done."

"You are absolutely correct. Because guess what, Mitchell? You wrote it."

Logan stopped walking. "What?"

"It was never him. It's always been you, working in the shadows. You're going to lock yourself in that basement tonight and type the whole thing up, using your memory cubes to quote it word for word. And tomorrow morning you're going to turn it in to Mrs. Simmons with his name on it. That's what really happened, Logan. You grew up believing your hero was a genius who invented the theory that saved the world. But it was you." She finally stopped walking and turned back. "It's always been you."

"No." Logan shook his head. His brain was about to explode. "No, that's not possible. Roger wouldn't lie to me like that, he wouldn't have sent me here to save James if—"

"That's debatable," she shrugged. "I think Roger would do whatever it takes to save humanity. But he actually didn't know the truth then. He believed what you did, what the entire world did—that James Diamond wrote that assignment."

Logan was starting to hyperventilate again. "How could I possibly have written that assignment? I wasn't even born yet!"

"You're here now, aren't you? Neither of us will be born for almost two hundred years but here we are on Beech Lane in the year 2012. I'm sure you've figured out that the things you do here have consequences. They become part of the fabric of history. And that's what you did."

"But that doesn't even make sense! How could I write a theory that isn't even published yet?"

"Because you have the memory cubes. For all I know, you have the entire report memorized. You already knew it when you came back." Logan remained silent, mind spinning. "It's called the bootstrap paradox. You know things because they already happened. You grew up studying that theory like some people study the Bible. It was your Bible. But it only existed because you came back here and wrote it yourself. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have had it to study as a child. But because you did come back, it was there. It was published. It existed."

Logan's legs went out from under him. He sat down hard on a mowed lawn. The girl didn't seem alarmed; she joined him, sitting cross-legged a few inches away while Logan's brain whizzed through the implications of this revelation at lightning speed.

"I wrote it," he whispered.

"Yep."

"That's how I fixed it. I knew James wasn't going to, so I went home and typed it up and turned it in as his assignment. Because if I didn't, everyone was going to die."

"Exactly."

Logan swallowed hard. "And now you're here to kill me. You're going to make sure I don't write it, and then somehow destroy the memory cubes."

She nodded. "That was my mission."

Rather than say anything else, she let Logan sit in silence and accept what she knew was more than he could handle. It took some time for him to work through everything, but when he did he said, "There's something I don't understand, that makes no sense."

"What's that?"

"Where was I? If I wrote all of that and James didn't know the information himself...where was I? I've studied his life, everything there is to know about him from graduation on...there's no way he could live the rest of his life the way he did. This wasn't the only theory he posited, there were so many more groundbreaking ideas he came up with! He couldn't do that on his own! Unless...unless he did it in my memory. My death would do that. It would change him, change his focus and...oh. Oh, James. You devoted the rest of your life to being the man I wanted you to be, didn't you? You wanted to make me proud even if I couldn't be here to see it!"

Logan broke down into sobs, his heart shattering. That was why James didn't continue his career as an actor. It all made sense now.

"Hey, Romeo, get a grip. I know you'd love to believe in that sappy storyline, but that's not even close to how it happened."

He wiped at his eyes. "What? But it makes sense."

"Yeah, so does world peace. But you don't see that happening, do you? Not in the thousands of years humans have been around. Life doesn't always make sense."

Logan sniffed before rubbing his sleeve across his eyes. "But nothing else does, either. There's no way I stayed with him. I would've known. There would've been some record of me in his life."

"Not if you went around deleting everything you could get your hands on. You had a lot of years to do it, too. It was actually you that made him so hard to find before graduation, so...mission accomplished. And before you ask, that's why there's no record of you, either. No pictures, no files, not even the birth certificate your team forged for you. You made sure to get rid of everything before you died. Because of course you knew when that would be."

"How would I know that? I don't even know it now."

"You will. One of your best friends is going to tell you. Eventually."

Now Logan was even more confused. "Kendall? Carlos? How would they know that?"

"Not them, dummy. Someone from the future, who actually went back in time to find out how it all went down. But she was smart and went back to a later date, when it was all said and done. She got the full story from you. That's how she knows everything that's going to happen, because in the future you'll tell her."

"I won't. I'd never tell anyone. It's too dangerous."

"Not if that person is on your side and wants to help you save the world."

It was hard to keep up. "Who? When will I meet her?"

The girl held out her hand. "Tonight. Hi, I'm Lucy. You don't know it yet, but we're going to be great friends."

Logan stared at her in shock. "I thought you were the enemy. You said you were the enemy."

"I was the enemy. But even I'm not crazy enough to kill off the entire population. When I found out about the mission to stop James, I volunteered. Not because I actually wanted to succeed, but because I knew if someone else took the job, they would. So I pretended to go along with what my team wanted. I told them it would be smarter to find him later in life, to get close to him and learn things the history books didn't tell us. What I discovered is you. So I went forward again to tell my team I knew how it had happened and that I'd come back here to stop it. Then I ran to your team and explained the truth, and then offered to come back and make sure you didn't screw it up."

"Wow. So Roger sent me here to make sure James succeeded, and then sent you to make sure I did."

"You got it."

"So...you're not here to kill me?"

"Nope. I'm here to get you home so you can write up that report. And make nice with James."

Though he was relieved by this unexpected turn of events, the reminder that James had broken up with him left him hollow. "He doesn't want anything to do with me."

"That's why I'm here, buddy. To tell you how to get him back."

Logan's breath caught. "You know?"

"Yep. You told me how you did it. And it worked."

"It did? What did I say? What did I do? Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

With a wink, Lucy asked, "Want to dance?"