"You figured it out," Hadley said softly.

Angela's mind was still whirling. Marcus had been a huge part of her life for the last six years. She had thousands of great memories with him. She was going to marry him next month. How could she have forgotten him?

"It's… for the best," said Hadley, but he looked pained. "He's from your same time period. You and I, it would have been… difficult."

Angela noticed he didn't say impossible.

She sat in silence for several long minutes, reliving all of her memories with Hadley, and then the highlights of her years with Marcus. She had so many more memories with Marcus than she did with Hadley.

So why, in this moment, did her feelings for Hadley feel so much stronger than her feelings for Marcus?

"He's my fiancé," she said hollowly. "We're getting married next month."

Hadley nodded. "I imagine the non-time-travel version of you is very excited about that."

Angela tried to think with only half her brain. The half that didn't know who Hadley was and had never heard of time travel or seen a mysterious plane that altered the course of her life. She called up the memory of the night Marcus had proposed to her. It was New Year's, and they'd been at Angela's brother's house, enjoying the excitement on the faces of her niece and nephew as they'd watched the Times Square ball drop on TV. Shortly after midnight, Marcus had pulled her aside. "So," he'd said. "A new year."

"Yep." Angela had nodded.

"I was thinking…" began Marcus, shifting nervously. "We've been dating for what, four years now? We're both in our thirties, we both want to have kids someday… so… what are we waiting for?" He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it up, revealing a large white diamond. "Will you marry me?"

Marriage? Angela had sucked in her breath. Somehow, she hadn't been expecting that. Her initial reaction was panic. Then she realized that that was silly. This was Marcus. As he'd pointed out, they'd been dating for several years, and neither one of them was getting any younger. Why keep dating unless they were going to settle down and start a family?

"Yes," she'd told him. "I'll marry you."

Angela—the present-day version who was sitting with Hadley at Interchronological Rescue headquarters—wrinkled her nose and she thought back to the proposal. It suddenly seemed so… un-romantic. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what kinds of thoughts the non-time-travel version of her had been having regarding the upcoming wedding. She'd been looking forward to it, certainly. But her excitement had been less about pledging her life to Marcus, and more about the years to come in which she'd finally be able to have kids of her own.

She could see this now, analyzing things from the perspective of her time-travel self, who'd been so busy with her research for all these years that the idea of having children had never even crossed her mind. Non-time-travel Angela had spent the last thirteen years surrounded by nieces and nephews, watching them grow up, looking forward to the day when she could finally add her own kids into the mix. Her desire for children had blinded her to the fact that her longtime relationship with her boyfriend was really more of a friendship.

Her feelings for Hadley, despite how briefly they'd known each other, were still stronger than her feelings for Marcus had ever been.

She opened her eyes. Hadley was sitting there, staring down at an Elucidator screen, though if Angela had to guess, he wasn't actually looking at it.

"Hadley?" she said quietly.

He looked up, his expression resigned. "Yes ma'am?"

"I don't—" She stopped herself before she could say I don't want to marry Marcus. Marcus deserved to be the first person she told. "I think I should go home and talk to Marcus," she said instead. "And check in on Maria and Leo. But I want to come back here afterwards. I want to stay involved with the time agency and hear all the details about the blended dimensions and their repercussions—as much as you guys are willing to share with me, at least. And I want to help with whatever comes next."

Hadley was staring down at his Elucidator again. "I don't know how much help we're going to need from here on out, to be honest," he admitted. "Gary and Hodge are out of the picture, Second is essentially out of the picture, all of the kids are safe, and the biggest problems related to the twenty-first century were solved when the time streams merged." He gave her a sad smile. "It might be time for you to finally get back to your normal life. You have a family now, and a job, and a fiancé… and I believe you've nearly gotten your pilot's license, is that right?"

Her pilot's license. It had been her dream ever since she was a child, but it had taken her years of working various customer service and flight attendant jobs before she'd been able to start taking lessons. She'd been working at it for three years now, balancing her lessons with work and family obligations and her social life, and she was so close.

She was excited about that, of course. Both versions of her were. And the time-travel version was beyond ecstatic about having a relationship with her family again. But the idea of never being involved with time travel again? Never again traveling through time, using an Elucidator, interacting with time agents?

Never seeing Hadley or JB again?

"I want to come back at least once," she said firmly. "After I've talked to Marcus and checked in on Maria and Leo. It's very important that I get to—to—to say goodbye." Her breath hitched on the word goodbye.

Hadley's arm twitched, as if he wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he kept it firmly where it was. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I need a chance to say goodbye," she repeated, keeping a firm control over her voice and emotions this time. "At least to you and JB."

She was desperately hoping it wouldn't have to actually be a goodbye.

Hadley gazed at her steadily for a moment, then nodded. "All right. We'll make sure you have that opportunity."

Angela and the others were returned to the Skidmores' kitchen in a heap, all taking a moment to get over the timesickness before they started to sit up. It was beyond bizarre that here in the twenty-first century, it was still the same morning in which JB had shown up at Angela's house and told her that she needed to drive him to Jonah's.

Linda and Michael once again enveloped their children in a hug, reaching out to pull Chip and Angela in as well. Once they released everybody, Linda fixed her eyes on Jonah and Katherine. "I think it's time you told Dad and me the full story of all this time travel stuff. From start to finish. All of it."

Jonah and Katherine nodded meekly. "Okay," said Jonah.

"I'm going to head home and check on Maria and Leo," Angela told them. "But we'll keep in touch." Even if there was nothing more for her to do with regard to keeping the missing children safe, she still wanted to maintain a relationship with Jonah and Katherine. And the rest of their family too, if they were willing.

"I should probably head home too," Chip said unenthusiastically. "Even though I doubt my parents even noticed I was gone."

"They noticed," Angela assured him, though judging by what she'd seen when she went to snoop on his house, she could understand his reluctance.

She walked over to the counter where she'd placed her lanyard Elucidator before being pulled into the future with everybody else. It was gone. Heart sinking, Angela scanned the other counters, the floor, and even the kitchen table, just in case she was misremembering where she'd put it. It was nowhere to be found.

"What are you looking for?" asked Jonah.

"My Elucidator. But I don't think I'm going to find it. The time agency must have taken it back."

It really is over, she thought gloomily. The time agents really don't need my help anymore.

It was with a heavy heart that she walked out of the house a few minutes later, next to Chip. "I never got to hear your side of the story," she remarked to him, trying to distract herself from her melancholy thoughts. "What was it like for you when you got pulled out of time? Any crazy time-travel adventures?"

"No," said Chip. "I was just at my house, getting ready to leave for school, and then all the sudden I was in a time hollow with all the other missing kids except Jonah. We were pretty confused for a little bit, but then some time agents showed up and sent us home. They explained a little about what had happened, but not about the different dimensions and stuff."

"I think even they're still trying to figure it all out," said Angela. "I'm glad you guys are all okay."

She offered Chip a ride home, but he declined, probably wanting to make the short trip home last as long as possible. Angela got into her car alone, feeling somewhat the same way. How was she going to break the news to Marcus, a month before the wedding, that she no longer wanted to marry him?

For that matter, she wasn't even sure what to expect when she got home. She'd lived in the same house in both dimensions, but in the non-time-travel one, it had been much more furnished and decorated. It had also been up for sale, since she'd been planning on moving into a bigger house with Marcus after the wedding.

Which version of her house would she be coming home to?

The For Sale sign was in the yard when she pulled into the driveway. Marcus's truck, fortunately, was not. Although he didn't live with Angela, he had his own key and would often swing by whenever he felt like it.

It was a weird feeling, stepping inside, half of her feeling like she'd just been here earlier that morning, the other half coming home after an extremely long and tiring journey. She wondered fleetingly what the non-time-travel version of her had been doing that morning, and whether that version of her had just disappeared from wherever she was to join with the time travel version outside the cave. She figured it must have, but what if she'd been driving down the highway, or in the middle of a conversation with someone when it happened? There were so many questions about the time merge that had never been answered.

One thing at a time, she told herself. Hadley had promised she'd get at least one more opportunity to talk to him and JB. She could ask all her questions then.

"Maria?" she called softly. "Leo?"

"Yes ma'am?" Leo stepped out of the kitchen, wearing an apron that Angela—the non-time-travel version—had gotten from her grandmother at Christmas a few years back.

"Just checking on you guys," said Angela, relieved to see him. "And—you don't need to call me ma'am."

"Yes ma—oh. Um, yes Angela."

Angela sniffed the air, just now noticing a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen. "What are you making?"

"I'm making sharlotka!" Leo exclaimed excitedly. "It was amazing—I was just standing by the food closet, thinking about how I wished there were more ingredients to work with, and then boom! Like magic! More food!" He laughed in amazement. "You did not mention that food closets in the future can read people's thoughts."

Angela was momentarily confused, before realizing that the incident Leo was talking about must have been what happened when the dimensions blended. The non-time-travel version of her had kept much better food in the house than the time-travel version had.

This was not the best time to try to explain that to Leo. "Where's Maria?" she asked. "Still sleeping?"

"I think she's awake," said Leo. "I heard movement in her quarters not too long ago."

Angela thanked Leo and strode down the short hallway to her bedroom, where she found Maria sitting on her made bed and examining something in her hand. Maria jumped guiltily and set the object down on the nightstand when Angela walked into the room.

"I'm sorry," Maria said quickly. "It just appeared here not too long ago and I let my curiosity get the best of me."

Angela looked at the object again and saw that it was her cell phone. Right, she thought. Time-travel me didn't have a cell phone, so to Maria's perspective, when the dimensions merged it would have appeared out of thin air.

"The future is so… strange and incredible!" Maria marveled, her eyes wide with wonder.

"It is," Angela agreed, thinking of the small tastes she'd gotten of Hadley's time period. Would she ever get to go back there, or would Hadley and JB meet her in the twenty-first century or take her to a time hollow?

She couldn't think about that right now. "I have to go somewhere this morning," she told Maria. "Will you and Leo be okay here?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she started second-guessing herself. Was she really about to leave two early twentieth-century kids alone in her house for a few hours?

"Oh yes, we'll be fine," Maria assured her. "We can play cards or watch the TV."

"That's a good idea," said Angela. "Leo's making something for breakfast, so I'll probably stick around and eat with you guys, and then head out." She told herself that this was to make sure Leo didn't burn the house down trying to use twenty-first century cooking equipment, but really she was stalling. Just because she didn't want to marry Marcus didn't mean she didn't care about his feelings.

Angela left the house an hour later, after enjoying the sharlotka—it turned out to be a tasty apple cake—and showing Maria and Leo how to use the landline to call her cell phone if they needed to contact her while she was out. The moment she got in her car, she became overwhelmed with nerves. I can't just go over to his apartment and tell him I don't want to marry him anymore! What am I thinking?

After several deep breaths, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Marcus's number. He didn't answer, so she left him a voicemail explaining that she was on her way over to talk about something serious and important. For good measure, she sent him a text afterwards, saying the same thing.

She hadn't even left her neighborhood when he replied to her text: I need to tell you something too.

She couldn't imagine what that might be, but she didn't have the mental capacity to think about it right now. All too soon, she was pulling into the familiar apartment complex and parking in front of #15. Heart pounding so loudly she was sure the neighbors could hear it, she got out and knocked on the door.

And then there was Marcus. He was so familiar, his scruffy beard, his sandy hair, his intense hazel eyes. Angela assessed her emotions, wondering if seeing him in person for the first time since the dimensions had blended would change the way she thought she felt.

She was happy to see him.

She felt comfortable around him, despite her anxiety over what she was about to tell him.

But she didn't feel any sort of romantic spark or attraction. No desire to take his hand or wrap her arms around him or kiss him.

And—why did he look so distraught? Did he know what was coming?

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He shook his head. It seemed to take him several moments before he was able to speak. "I—Angela, I don't know how to say this."

"How to say what?" she asked apprehensively.

"I—we—" Marcus rubbed the back of his head, the way he always did when he was upset of uneasy. "I—I'm such a terrible person."

"What? What makes you say that?"

"I—we're going to have to call off the wedding. I can't do this to you. I'm sorry."

Angela stepped backward, shocked for a moment before a huge wave of relief and giddiness crashed over her. Marcus wanted to call off the wedding too? She didn't have to break his heart?

She couldn't resist letting out a surprised laugh. Marcus eyed her strangely. "Angela?"

"That's exactly the same thing I came here to talk to you about!" she exclaimed, another burst of relieved laughter flowing out of her. "I mean—no offense. But I think we're—"

"You found out!" he howled, cradling his head in his hands. "Angela, I'm so sorry. I swear I would've told you sooner; I don't know why I didn't; this is going to sound crazy but I don't even know how I got into this mess in the first place. I'm not that kind of person; I'm so disgusted with myself I don't even know what to do…" He was sobbing. Angela had never seen Marcus cry before. She patted his arm awkwardly, confused as to what this was all about.

"I don't even know how I did it," he moaned, shoulders shaking, face buried in his hands. "Or why. It was completely unfair to both of you, and I'm a vile, disgusting scumbag…"

Suddenly, Angela suspected she knew what this was all about. "There's someone else, isn't there?" she asked softly. "Another woman?"

Marcus howled even louder, and Angela's suspicions were confirmed. For an instant, she felt jealous and angry. But those feelings were irrational, because Marcus hadn't been cheating on her.

"Marcus, listen to me," she said soothingly. "You're not a bad person. I know it feels like you've been in a relationship with both of us at the same time, but you haven't. It's—complicated, but let's go inside and I'll do my best to explain."

It took forever to tell all about the different dimensions, and to convince Marcus that he had done nothing wrong. She told all about seeing the plane during her first night at Sky Trails in the other dimension, and how it had changed her life so much that she and Marcus had never even met. "That was the dimension in which you eventually ended up meeting—what's her name?"

"Jennifer," Marcus sniffled. "But then—if this is true—where was Jennifer in the dimension where I met you?"

"Somewhere else," said Angela. "You never met her, or if you did, it wasn't significant, because you were already with me by that time."

Marcus still looked unconvinced, and Angela didn't blame him. The story was crazy, and she had very little to offer in the ways of proof. She decided to go for a different tactic. "If you'd been seeing two women all this time, you would've had to be very sneaky about it. Do you remember being sneaky? Do you remember coming up with lies to tell either of us about where you were or who you were going out with?"

Marcus was quiet for a moment, thinking about it, and then he slowly shook his head. "No, I don't remember any of that," he said, a hint of hope coming into his eyes.

"See?" said Angela, nodding encouragingly. "That's because you didn't do that. You're not that kind of person. Who did you take with you to your sister's wedding last year?"

"You," he said confidently. Then his face screwed up in confusion. "No—it was Jennifer. I distinctly remember that one slow dance—" He blushed. "Huh. It's weird. I kind of remember both of you being there."

"Exactly," said Angela. "Because in one dimension, you brought her, and in the other dimension, you brought me. This morning the dimensions combined, so you now have both sets of memories."

Marcus was still for a bit, processing this information. Finally, he asked, "So… is there someone for you too, then? From the other dimension?"

Angela nodded slowly. She wasn't sure where things actually stood with her and Hadley, but she knew he wouldn't be getting out of her head any time soon.

Marcus shifted awkwardly on the couch. "You said you wanted to call off the wedding," he began. "Which I completely understand and agree with, given the circumstances. But now… what about you and me? Or me and Jennifer? Or you and… whoever he is?"

Angela took a deep breath, still slightly nervous despite the fact that she suspected he would agree with what she was about to say. She explained how, looking from the perspective of the version of her that had never met Marcus, their relationship seemed more like a comfortable friendship than anything else. Marcus nodded, relieved. "I know exactly what you mean. I can see that now too, comparing… well, yeah."

Angela was pretty sure he'd been about to say something like Comparing how I feel about you to how I feel about Jennifer, and yet the implied sentiment didn't hurt at all.

Further proof that this was the right decision.

"So…" she said with a small smile. "Can we be friends? Or will it be too awkward?"

"I think we can give it a try," said Marcus, returning the smile.