Day Five

Maddie drove as far away from Los Angeles as she could get. She didn't pick up any phone calls. She just got in her car, and drove.

When night fell, she kept driving. She was going to reach midnight. No matter what. She was going to reach the next day. She had to.

The clock was nearing 11:50, then 11:55.

Maddie sat there, one foot on the gas, both hands clutching at the steering wheel, begging the universe to break this curse.

The clock changed to 11:59.

She never saw it hit 12:00. A car swerved into her lane, and she heard a crash, felt a crunch, and then it was black.

Day Six

When she woke up, she was in her own bed again.

Maddie told Buck this time. He looked at her like she was crazy, but they went to Athena with the information.

Athena came to her house, and they looped Chimney in on the plan. There was a whole police squadron waiting for Doug, and at seven, Maddie called Chimney to figure out where he was.

She didn't get an answer. Maddie felt the knowledge hit her. She hadn't told Chimney about the Jason/Doug thing. He didn't know. He would have still told Jason.

She couldn't breathe as she waited for news to get back about Chimney, and when the cop Athena had sent to check radiod over the news that he'd been stabbed, Maddie fell to the ground.

Day Seven

She had to try different things, so this time she told Chimney. Everything. She told him about the timelines, and about Jason/Doug. She laid it all out.

When the clock hit 7:30, and she was on the ground of her courtyard, desperately begging Chimney to keep breathing, then she knew she couldn't do this again. She couldn't lose him again.

Day Eight

6:00 a.m.

When she woke up, she had the usual glimmer of hope that it was finally tomorrow. She grabbed her phone to turn the alarm off, and was startled to find that she wasn't on the couch.

That was enough information for her. Sure enough, the date glared her in the face when she turned the alarm off.

She got up, got dressed without thinking about it, feeling more than just depressed about this, and walked into the kitchen.

"You're about to spill on your shirt," she told Buck, just as he opened his mouth to say hi.

"Oops," he said, jerking the bowl away from him. The drop of milk landed on the floor instead.

Maddie blinked. She almost wanted to think that was a sign of change, but it was too small.

"Hey, so today's the day, right?" Buck asked. "Why don't you have the paperwork?"

Maddie shrugged. "I don't know," she said carefully, pouring herself some coffee. "I think I'm going to wait, you know?"

She could see the carefully measured disappointment in Buck's eyes, and then the disguised cheerfulness in his voice. "Hey, you have to do it on your own terms," he told her. "What about Chimney though?"

Her hands tightened around her coffee mug to the point where it was painfully hot, but she didn't flinch.

"I don't know," she repeated. "I have to go."

She walked out the door without saying anything else. She didn't have the energy.

8:00 a.m.

She was ready for Stevie's call when it came in, but that didn't mean she was prepared; just braced for it.

"Hi, Stevie," she said, voice carefully measured. She'd learned her lesson day three; she couldn't do this without careful planning. "Do you have a parent around?"

"Yeah, my dad is in the other room," Stevie said in a whisper. "I have to talk quietly."

"I need you to listen to me, Stevie," Maddie said. "I'm going to send a cop over to your house to investigate, okay? Her name is Athena. She will believe you. I need you to show her the boy in the basement, or tell her about him."

Silence. "How did you know?" Stevie asked.

"Stevie, what are you doing?"

The dad had already interrupted the call.

Maddie played him off, and then called Athena.

11:00 a.m.

"I wasn't able to enter the house," Athena said, radioing in. She hadn't come into the dispatch center, which Maddie considered a win. "But Stevie did tell me that there's a kid in the basement, which tracks with what you said about there being something else there. I'm going to my chief to see if we can get an emergency warrant for this afternoon."

"Thank you, Athena," Maddie said. Athena was going straight back to headquarters to talk to her chief.

Surely that had to mean something.

12: 30 p.m.

Maddie walked into the fire station, with shaking hands. She didn't have the papers, but she had to get Chimney to agree to come by her house tonight. She still didn't know what she'd do, but she knew she had to get him to come by. The timeline was dictating that. The events of day three still haunted her, chilled her. Doug found a way.

She wondered if he somehow had control of this. Maybe he had died on that first day and he was sitting in hell making her relive this day.

She saw Chimney, and tried to lighten up.

"Hey," he called. "What brings you by? Looking for Buck?"

"Nope, I'm looking for you," she said, shoving her hands in her pockets. They were shaking so much she knew he'd see, and wonder why. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out for drinks tonight."

She could see the slow confusion in his gaze. "I would love to," he said carefully. "But this doesn't feel like your normal invitation, and I think you've mentioned wanting to wait until you're free of Doug before we start anything."

She wondered what Buck had already spread around the station. The past few days Athena had known, Bobby had known...Chimney had probably already heard about the papers from Buck and was now confused at her lacking them.

She'd fucked up. She had been afraid to escalate the situation even more, and she'd needed to change the events so that when Doug did show up, he didn't have as strong a reaction. She had tried to remove some fuel from the fire, but instead, as usual, she was the one who was getting burned.

"I have something to tell you tonight," she said. "Something really important. I didn't want to tell you with everyone around like this. And besides…" The words she was about to say burned her mouth, since she'd said them so many times, and she had meant them so much the first time she'd said them. Now they just physically hurt her. "You told me your calendar was wide open. When I was ready."

She could see his whole body language changing, and she knew what he expected from tonight. There was a huge smile spreading over his face, and Maddie's heart ached from how much this man obviously cared for her.

She almost ran out then. She almost ran to her car and just kept driving, because she couldn't physically do this again. She couldn't watch him get hurt.

"So tonight," he said slowly. "Just name the time."

"Seven," she said.

"Actually, I'm kind of busy at seven," he joked, his eyebrows quirking.

God, always the jokester. So why did she love him so much?

The thought stopped her in her tracks. Love. Did she love Chimney? Had she really just thought that?

She couldn't breathe.

From the look on her face, Chimney could tell that his joke hadn't gone over well. "I'm kidding. Yes. I can't wait."

"I'll see you then," she said, and hesitated. She was terrified to kiss his cheek again, but she was terrified not to.

If this was the last time they'd be happy together…

Maddie couldn't help herself. She leaned in and kissed him. Lips to lips. Her hand cupping his face.

If this was the last chance she got to do that, then she was going to do it.

Chimney looked dazed when she pulled away, and his hand landed on hers before she pulled away, as if to keep her there. "Maddie, I-" He began, voice hoarse.

"Shh," she whispered, and left him standing there.

4:00 p.m.

"There's a boy named Stevie on the line for you," Sue said. "I need you to know that he's the current subject of an AMBER alert."

That was not what Maddie wanted to hear. Not at all. She'd tried to call Athena back, but Athena had said she was fighting for the warrant, and that she'd call back.

Now it was too late.

Goddamn this city and it's red tape.

She picked up the call. "Stevie, I need you to listen," she said. "You're at the train station, right?"

"What?" Stevie asked. "I mean yes, I am."

"Go into the bathroom," Maddie said. "Go into the closest men's room, and shut yourself in the big stall with the boy you took with you."

Sue was staring at Maddie, as if she was crazy.

Honestly, Maddie probably was at this point.

"I'm going to send that lady from earlier," Maddie said. "Athena. She's going to find you."

"Okay," Stevie said. She could hear him walking.

"Are you inside the bathroom stall?" Maddie asked. She couldn't have him out in the open, she couldn't have him go to a security guard. She didn't even want to know what that could mean. His father was armed and dangerous.

"Yes," Stevie said, and she could hear a new echo.

"Okay, Stevie, stay on the line," she said. "I'm just going to switch over to talk to Athena. Stay there. Don't do anything. I will be right back."

6:45 p.m.

Stevie was safe. Athena had found the two boys, but his father hadn't been apprehended.

Maddie felt so much relief to know that Stevie was okay, but there was a pit in her stomach regarding the news about his father. She knew that was sloppy.

She'd have to do better. Next time.

But her whole thought process was caught on Chimney. Her thought from earlier, how she'd said she loved him, if only in her mind.

Did she love him? Was she falling in love? Was it just a slip?

But sitting on her bed, dreading everything that was to come, Maddie knew that it was the deepest, darkest secret she'd ever had...and it was 100% true. She loved him. She loved him, and that's why Doug targeted him. She loved him, and that's why he'd died.

She loved him, and that's why she wanted to make the most of this time.

She couldn't picture yet another day like this. She couldn't face the exhaustion she was feeling now yet again.

So maybe it was time to take another turn. Maybe it was time to take advantage of the situation.

She walked downstairs, taking up the poker, and outside to open her gate. Doug was standing there, and Chimney was still five minutes away. She met her husband's gaze, wondering if she could do this, wanting to just shoot him now. On the next timeline could she just get a gun? But it wouldn't be self defense. If the timeline ended there, how could she defend it?

"Hi," she said. "Jason."

His eyes flashed, and he stepped forward, but Maddie knew she hadn't done enough to change the timeline, so she just smiled.

"You can do whatever you want to me," she said. "But it's not going to change anything. I left you, Doug. I won."

She held the poker in her hand, behind her, wondering if he'd just shoot her, but he was walking forward, and he was speaking, but she didn't pay attention to a thing he said. He raised the knife, and she raised the poker, ready to strike him, but it was too late.

She welcomed the black, this time.