Even after several days, the analysis of the anomaly signal hasn't brought any answers or understanding to neither of the scientists.
The Ancients and Reese were in the lab of the Black Pearl with chibi Chomp, Ace and Paris who were playing together, recapitulating everything that they've tried just to make the results useful to them.
The anomalies come out of nowhere and always when Reese isn't around; they still cannot detect their source.
Their conclusions were going nowhere when Reese noticed it's already two in the afternoon. She's going to be late! She excused herself and rushed to the Alpha Base.
"Leaving so suddenly doesn't seem like her," Trias said, frowning thoughtfully, "do you think she's about to meet someone?" He turned to his wife, seeing her in tears.
"She's finally socializing; I'm so proud of her!"
"Huh?" He smiled softly.
—
Zander was waiting in front of the HQ, tapping his foot nervously when he finally spotted those golden locks heading his way. He beamed at her happily. "You've made it!"
"Of course I have," she told him with a smile on her face, "I apologize for the hold-up. I got a little lost in my work."
He didn't seem to listen to her; he was caught off guard by the dark coat with a red A logo she was wearing—it was his coat.
She noticed his dumbfounded face and chuckled softly. "Zander?"
"Um, s-sorry..." He rubbed the back of his head. "It's just that you're still wearing my coat."
"Oh, I guess so..." she murmured, trailing her eyes away, "it feels comfortable, so..."
"It suits you. Well, everything does!"
"Thanks..." She blushed.
He stepped towards her; a certain thought kept bothering him since their mission. "B-before we head out... I want to make sure what exactly is going on between us, you know? I mean, this date... how am I supposed to act and view this...?"
She gave him a reassuring smile. "We're friends, that's all. I'm not saying we can't become more, but I won't try for it. I just want to make it up to you for saving me and to know you better."
He nodded, smiling back. "Right! I'll be more than happy to spend my time with you. Shall we go?"
"Sure."
They headed to the downtown and soon got to the park. They were engaged in a conversation about their little siblings.
"You think your sister's bossy?" Zander wondered, "have you met Ursula?"
"I guess you have a point. I suppose you win that one."
"I wouldn't be so proud of that win. Anyway, I have another question for you."
Reese looked up at him. "Come on, ask."
"Okay, so... Your second name. When you came into this time, you mentioned an M between your first and last name. What does it stand for?"
"Michiko; it stands for Michiko."
"Michiko?"
She nodded and hummed. "It means 'child of beautiful wisdom', which fits more than perfect." She gazed up in the sky dreamily.
"I have to agree with you."
"Alright, my next question now. Ed told me this is your favorite place; why is that?"
Zander frowned and stopped.
She knew she touched a sensitive spot. "Sorry..."
He took her hand and led her away. They stopped near a playground. "This is where she..." he whispered, "where she left me... It brings me here..." His eyes were locked on nothing; he was lost in his memories.
Despite not being able to see his eyes, she knew he's surrounded by such sadness. There must be something she can do to save him from drowning in pain and pity. She squeezed his hand.
He jerked his head to be met with her smile. "The past will always haunt us, we can't change that. I know it hurts." She stroked his arm. "It wasn't your fault, so you shouldn't blame yourself."
"I know...But I wish I knew why..."
"Because she wasn't the best person and...maybe because you were meant to be here. You were meant to stand right here, right now, with me."
"...what do you...?" he breathed.
"We wouldn't meet if it wasn't for that," she reminded him.
"But..."
She cupped his cheeks and took his sunglasses off. "Look at me."
He already had his glance locked on her. "Always..." He was looking right in her eyes.
She blushed. "You aren't the one to blame. She's made a mistake not you."
"B-but...I always screw up; that's why she left me...that's why Ellie left me, that's why you-"
"I'm not leaving you, at least not because you'd screw up."
"Reese..."
"Do you trust me?"
"O-of course! Ang-Reese, I'm staring into your eyes; I haven't trusted anyone like that in years."
She smiled at him.
"You're right; everything bad is good for something." He reached his hand to stroke her cheek, but then he stopped, his hand was shaking; it wasn't the right time, he wasn't ready...
—
Time has passed and it's already been Reese's 6th week in the future.
She was with Zander again; they just got to the D-lab. The place didn't change much—it was still a ruin—but something changed elsewhere.
Everyone has seen Reese smiling or laughing by now, but most of the time a certain person has to be around.
The building was still destroyed and it still had the same effect on her; a sheer sore pain—it was her favorite place to spend her time, a place where she could relax and be alone (most of the time) after all. This fate of the building is something she can't even affect.
She felt a light tap of a finger on her back. She turned around to see Zander cowering in fear.
"Are you okay?"
"...I-I'm fine...! It's just..." He was visibly shaking, his teeth clicking together.
She raised her eyebrow. "You're afraid of ghosts, aren't you?" she asked him teasingly.
"What?!" he squeaked, "no..." He added calmly. "Why would I be afraid?" He closed his eyes, striking a superhero-like pose, trying to look confident.
She slid next to him and- "Boo."
Zander yelled and jumped away. "No! Please, don't hurt me! I didn't mean to disturb you in the afterlife!" He blinked, seeing the blonde beside him.
"Not afraid, huh?"
He chuckled nervously.
"You don't have to pretend to be tougher." She rubbed his back reassuringly. "You already are tough enough."
"You really think...?"
She nodded, making his eyes fill up with tears of adoration. He hugged her tightly. "You always know how to make me better."
"I didn't do much," Reese told him.
"You did more than you think." He smiled adoringly at her, brushing her hair strand from her eyes. Then he frowned. "...but could we please go now? I'm getting chills from this place."
"There's nothing that could hurt you, I swear." She was lying in a way, but she didn't believe it was a lie—she felt like someone's watching them, just like every time she was there; however, if the stalker was dangerous, she'd already be attacked by them; she was there several times by herself.
"I'd still rather go..."
"Okay." She nodded and they headed away.
"I'd love to see it rebuilt in this era, although, that would be unnecessary since I'm going to leave," she realized.
"You could ask the Ancients to financial the rebuilt," Zander suggested.
"I can't want that from them."
"Why not? They have enough money for the whole city and more."
"They do?"
"They managed to raise a lot of money thanks to their research; they're basically millionaires."
"In yen?"
"No, in dollars. They're humble about it, but they'd pay it for you if you stayed."
"Stop negotiating; I'm going back home one day," Reese told him.
He smiled at her. "I had to give it a try."
—
The two haven't realized it yet, but there was something blooming between them. It was Reese's 8th week; Zander was looking for her, however, he couldn't find her anywhere, not near the D-lab, not in her room, not on the Black Pearl. He was walking through the Alpha Base, worried about his love. He went to the library since he couldn't think of any other place where she could be.
He peeked around the shelf and spotted the blonde sitting on the floor and reading one of the many books. "There you are!"
Reese looked up at him. "Oh, Zander!"
"What you're reading?" he asked her.
She closed the book, smiling at him. "The Three Musketeers."
"Really?" He slid down against the wall. "Have you read it before?"
"Yes, I have, though that was a long time ago."
"You know, the characters aren't that different from their real-life inspirations."
"That's right, you've met them," she realized.
He nodded. "It wasn't that bad there until we went into that haunted castle..."
Reese chuckled, stroking his hair. "You're such a coward."
"And you like that." He smirked, making her flushed; he knew it was her weakness.
"I'm sure it was pretty interesting to be part of history," she awed.
"Not really... We only caused troubles there; the brats were more significant," once he said that, Reese cleared her throat. He sweatdropped; he forgot not to call the D-Team like that. "Sorry..."
"I wish I could have come with you all."
"That would be amazing!" Zander gasped, imagining his angel being with them throughout their time-traveling adventures, "you can read about all of those places and times; we have books about all of that."
"Noticed." She smiled at him. "Also..." She stood up and reached for one of the books. "I can see even books from other eras you've visited."
"Other eras?" He titled his head.
She nodded and looked at the more than the 20-year-old edition of a book that was released 100 years ago.
'Journey Through the Past' written by RA Owen
That name...
Illustrated by AK Owen
It must be...
Zander recognized the picture on the book's cover. "Hey, we used to read this book as kids."
"So, you've had this before... It wasn't bought after you all came back?" Reese wondered.
"No, why?"
She showed him the names on the cover. "RA Owen , Rex Ancient Owen."
"No way!"
"This must mean that Rex was always meant to stay in the past. ...it had to happen..."
"I can't believe that he's responsible for the best memories of my childhood." Zander sighed dreamily and got up.
"Your best memory is a children's book?"
"I was adopted when I was 9, so there wasn't much better in my childhood." He reached for a book on the top shelf and opened it; it was a photo album. "Others usually don't want to look through these, so Dr. Z hid the album. He probably thought that people wouldn't suspect it is somewhere so high because he can't reach there."
She took a look at the first photo; in front of an entrance was posing about 20 years younger Alpha Gang with an early-teenage dark-haired boy with glasses, who she assumed was the oldest one of the siblings, Rod and Laura's father.
"That's from the day we were adopted. Doc has a copy of this photo under his pillow, thinking we don't know about it," he explained.
Who really caught her attention in the picture was the tall black-haired boy with his eyes closed and some of his hair sticking up, also his hairstyle was rather different than now unlike the others in the photo.
"Okay. And what's the deal with your hair?" Reese laughed.
Zander flushed, grinning goofily. His guts were tingling in embarrassment while his heart was warmed up by her laugh. Then he pouted. "Hey, that wasn't my fault."
"I know. You just look much better now."
He gulped at her comment. She thinks he looks good!
"Would you like to look through the album?" he asked her after a while.
"Sure."
He flipped the pages, showing her the pictures. The next one showed the trio with a blonde girl their age, very likely still at the orphanage. The freckles and the wide chocolate eyes gave away her identity.
"Ellie?"
Zander nodded. "Just like us, Ellie used to be at the orphanage. She was adopted by Jeremy's parents not long after us. She used to be my only friend there until Ed and Ursula came."
"You've known her for so long... You must get along well."
"Not really...At least not now. After such a long time, it hurts when she keeps a secret that affects even me."
"Understandable. I've done the same as her... She's going to tell you one day, I'm sure."
"It's true that she's never been the brave one," Zander admitted, "I guess she just needs some time."
Reese nodded, taking his hand reassuringly.
Looking through other photos, a nostalgic smile formed on Zander's face; it was a heartwarming sight for her.
She paused at a photo of a black-haired girl with younger Ed.
"And who's that?" she asked.
"Jane Komatsu or better Jeremy now."
"That's Jeremy?" She examined the girl in the photo. Black hair, big blue eyes, glasses; they were so similar and yet so different.
So, Jane...
—
At the BPW bar, Jeremy was serving some orange juice to his sister who was having another crisis.
"I can't do it...I can't tell him..." Ellie whined.
Jeremy sighed in irritation. "Geez, you're even more annoying than those two numbskulls. I'm starting to envy Ursula."
"It's not my fault I'm in this situation!" she yelped.
"It's half your fault," he reminded her, raising his eyebrow.
"You're not helping!" She sounded so desperate.
"Sorry. But how am I suppose to help? I've been trying to motivate you for weeks and you chicken out every single time. What else should I do?"
"At least try to understand me."
"I am trying!" He grabbed his head, closing his eyes shut. "I'm just not tough enough to be a woman!"
"And who's annoying now?" she wondered.
Jeremy slammed the bar with his hands a little. "Enough. The sooner you tell him, the sooner you'll know what position you're in. Just get up and head in the HQ, now!"
"Brother..."
"No excuses."
"Right." Ellie curled her hands into fists, rising her head. "My coward days are over! I'm gonna tell him. I'm gonna tell him today!" She stood up. "No more hiding. No more lying. I'm gonna tell him. I'm gonna tell him. I'm gonna tell him."
Then she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Hi, Ellie."
It wasn't the man she wanted to speak with, but those words just slipped through her lips without thinking, "I'm pregnant!"
Seeing Ed standing there, her freckled face turned bright crimson in both embarrassment and panic.
He was caught off guard, panicking as well. How else should he react?!
"Well, she finally said," Jeremy commented, watching in interest.
Ellie whined, her body trembling; she suddenly fainted.
—
Back in the Alpha Base, Zander and Reese were still looking through the photo album. He was telling her about how he got along with his siblings, how about great friend Ellie was to all three of them and that she and Ursula used to be classmates, about how Jeremy tried so hard to be just like Ursula, even dyeing part of his hair green.
Zander even mentioned how he and Ellie got together; when they came back she was there for him while he was mourning the loss of his angel. He was singing the sad version of the song he wrote for Reese, looking at the sunset when Ellie approached him, cheering him up. He's always liked her, but she couldn't fill that hole in his heart left after his angel. She was just a substitute for the Little Genius; that's what she felt like at first. They trusted each other, making it his best relationship yet; it was almost a fatal blow when she broke up with him.
He soon put the book in its place and leaned his back against the wall. He groaned in pain softly.
"Are you okay?" Reese gasped.
"Yeah..." He rubbed his back, his face cringing in pain. "...the scars just hurt and itch sometimes..."
"I see." She took his hand. "Come with me; I have some ointment that could help you."
He blushed as she led him in her room.
—
"I said it. I can't believe I said it... I said it." Ellie holding her head, crying and repeating herself like a broken record.
"Ellie, it's alright," Ed tried to reassure her as he rubbed her back.
She turned to face him, her chocolate eyes gazing at him. "I'm sorry if I scared you. Jeremy got me so hyped I just said it to the first person I saw and that happened to be you..."
"Can I ask you who were you going to tell about this?" Ed wondered.
Ellie glanced away while taking a deep breath, tears glittering in her eyes. "...I...I was about to..." She bit her lip and mentally kicked herself. "I was about to tell Zander."
Despite having the feeling she'd say that name, he was still a little surprised. "So, it's his..."
"Yeah..." She nodded slowly.
"Then, why did you break up with him?" he asked her.
"Because of that... You know me, I tend to panic all the time. I had no idea what I should do when I found out... Until now, Jeremy was the only one who knew. I..."
"I'm happy for you, Ellie." He touched her shoulder, smiling at her.
"Ed..."
"You don't have to be afraid; I'm here for you."
"You are...?"
"Of course. That I am a villain doesn't mean I can't be a good friend."
A tear ran down her cheek; he said so little, but it meant so much. "I'm glad I told you, even if it was accidentally."
"There's no need to cry," he said shakily, tears forming in his eyes. His empathy didn't let him watch her without crying himself.
She wiped away her tears and smiled at him. "Could you promise me something?"
"Anything."
"Please, don't tell Zander about this...I should be the one to tell him," Ellie mumbled.
"I understand."
"Thank you." Ellie leaned down and pecked his cheek, turning Ed's face red. He stared at her nervously and confusedly. Why would she do that? He's always thought that he disgusted her; she did do everything in her power to get away from him when he tried to kiss her for the first time; then again they were just teenagers back then—things change.
"And she won't try telling Zander for another 3 months straight," Jeremy murmured to himself.
—
"Just sit down and take your shirt off," Reese told Zander once she led him in her room and took the ointment.
Zander blushed, glancing at her with fear in his face, sitting on the bed.
An unnatural smirk formed on Reese's face. "So, you can see me without my clothes, but I can't see you without yours?" she joked. It wasn't like her to joke around, although, every time she did, it warmed his heart because it meant that she's happy.
He flushed even more at the precious memory of Reese's body. He knew that arguing with her wouldn't help anything; she was worried about him due to the pain caused by the scars.
He took off his red sweatshirt reluctantly, still blushing. He showed her his scarred back. The wounds were deep and still not completely healed.
Reese put some ointment on her fingers and sat on the bed behind him. "It's a little cool, so don't be surprised," she warned him before touching his wounds. He shivered at the sudden coldness of her touch, a slight gasp escaped his lips.
She waited for him to settle down and get used to the feeling, then she rubbed the ointment across his back.
"It's okay, this should make you feel better."
He closed his eyes, letting her do her work. Her soft fingertips felt so nice against his injured skin as if her touch alone could heal it.
"How's your arm?" she asked him.
"Much better. You don't have to worry," he chuckled softly to assure her.
"Zander, both of your injuries are my fault; of course I worry."
"Don't say that." He turned to her, taking her other hand. "It was my choice to save you; I could never blame you. I'll never let anything happen to you, even if it costs my own life."
"Stop." She shook her head, glaring at him strictly. "Don't put yourself in danger for me; it only makes me more worried."
He smiled after a while of silence and turned back. "If that's what you want."
She continued rubbing the ointment without saying a word.
"Thank you, Reese," Zander whispered, "you really are an angel."
Reese was still quiet, but her expression softened at his words. Maybe that pet name isn't that bad after all...
—
And that's all. Yeah, this one isn't much; the chapter's main purpose is to show off the relationship between Reese and Zander, to reveal Ellie's secret and a bit of Ellie and Jeremy's backstory. Don't worry, the next chapter has more plot than this one and THEN, oh just wait for chapter 9!
Continuing the trend of all CoL chapter names referring to something, this time it was taken from The All-American Rejects song due to Ellie finally spilling out the truth.
I hope you enjoyed.