"Sir!" Eric walked into Mr. Collins office, saluting him.
Collins looked up from his desk. He was a little surprised to say the least, as far as he knew the Mesogog problem had not been resolved. "Eric, what are you doing here? Have you captured Janixaur?"
"No, sir." Eric stepped forward and almost had to laugh at the clueless look on Collins' face, but Eric was good at keeping a straight face. "I thought you'd like to know something that was brought to my attention, a few days ago."
If he wasn't confused before, he sure was now. "Eric, I'm not seeing where-" Before he could finish his words, his face turned white as a ghost as Wes stepped into his office. "Wes?"
"Hey, Dad." Wes held out his arms as his father came running towards him throwing his arms around him.
"I thought I lost you!"
"Believe me, you weren't the only one." Wes smiled, looking into his father's face. When Eric had told him how heartbroken his father had been, Wes thought it would be best to come back home to see his father to show him he was alive and well; he figured it would be better than a simple telephone call, a phone call doesn't have the same effect as being face to face.
"How long can you stay?"
"Not long. They need us back there."
Collins nodded his head, understanding. He was just so glad that Wes was alive after all this time; he wasn't quite sure what he would have done without his son. "I understand."
"But I promise this time around I'll keep my head together." Wes then got the biggest smile on his face. "And when I come back, someone might be coming back with me."
Collins looked past Wes and over to Eric who was giving Collins a grim, concerned look. He turned back to his son; for the first time in a long time, Wes looked happy. He couldn't take that away from him, but he had to wonder. What was worse, giving him false hope or no hope at all? "That's great, son. I'm sure Jen and you will be very happy."
"Thanks Dad." Wes wrapped his arms around his father, patting him on the back.
Collins and Eric shared a very concerned look with each other, both knowing there was a very high chance that Wes wouldn't get what he had always wanted. For now, they would be happy and supportive for him, but they both had to wonder whether that would turn out to be a mistake.
"So is there something you can do?" asked Tommy, looking over Alex's shoulder, while he worked on the Time Force computer.
"There isn't a cure or anything to stop the process."
Tommy bowed his head down, sighing. He hated that there was nothing they could do to help Trent's father. Trent was still so young, he wasn't ready to go through losing another parent. He had already lost both his birth parents and now he was going to lose his adoptive father as well.
"But," said Alex, turning around in his chair. "There is a way to slow the process down, giving him five, ten years if he's lucky. That's the best I can do."
"I guess that's better than nothing. It gives both him and Trent five years they didn't have a minute ago," answered Tommy. It wasn't much, but it was better then the alternative. "When can you get started?"
"I don't have the supplies with me right now. But I know someone who does."
Eric met up with Hayley at the bar; Wes and Jen were slowly following behind him, taking their time as they talked and flirted with each other.
Eric gave Hayley a quick kiss on the cheek before he sat down. "So how's it going?" asked Hayley.
"Good. But I'm sure you expected that."
She grinned. "Yeah. It's not every day a father finds out that his son who was thought to be dead turns out to be alive."
Eric had to smile at that. It truly was a great feeling seeing Mr. Collins happy and overjoyed and vice verse, seeing Wes happy, something that he hadn't seen in a long time. "But you always knew Wes was alive. I just didn't want to hear it." Eric took her hand in his and started playing with her fingers.
"Well, even I had my doubts at times, but I'm glad I was right." Hayley looked around but didn't see Wes or Jen anywhere. "Speaking of which, where is he? I thought he and Jen were going to join us on their first official date."
"They're here somewhere, just taking their sweet little time."
Hayley laughed. "Moving kind of fast in their relationship, aren't they?" She grinned and took a sip of her drink. "If it were any other couple I might be concerned, but Jen and Wes have loved each other for a long time now."
"Maybe too much," muttered Eric as he took a sip of his drink.
Hayley turned to Eric, getting ready to say something, until Jen and Wes walked up behind them. "Hey guys," said Wes as he and Jen sat down.
"Bout time you two showed up. Couldn't keep your hands off each other, huh?"
Wes and Jen looked at each other and grinned. "Well…" started Jen.
Everyone laughed. "Here, think you can keep your hands off each other long enough to pick something from the menu?" asked Hayley, handing them the menus.
Eric sat back in his seat, watching as the others laughed while looking in the menus. He watched as Wes and Jen stole glances at each other, glances filled with love and passion. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for them, he was truly happy for them, but he was beginning to wonder: would it last. Would Jen be able to stay or would she have to return to her time, just like all the other times, leaving Wes behind, alone and heartbroken. Eric wasn't sure if he could see Wes go through all that again and he was almost positive that Wes's heart couldn't take a third time losing her. All he could do now was stand back and let time take its course and hope for the best. If it's meant to be, it will happen, but if it isn't….
"So this is it?" asked Alex, standing outside of Landon's home. The two thought it would be best that Alex didn't come inside, too many questions would arise. Landon already had to talk to his son about Alex and how he resembled his mother's cousin Wes so much.
"Yeah. Just inject it into him and the rest will take care of itself."
Alex nodded his head. "Thanks," He took a quickly glimpse through the window watching as Landon's wife was reading Nick a story. He smiled faintly, sighing knowing that once this mission was over Landon would be returning with him to the future. It wasn't fair to them to have to go through that, to lose him and never know the truth. Perhaps that was why Alex was so against Wes and Jen spending so much time with each other, getting far too close and attached to each other, because of this. This could happen. If it happened once it could happen again.
Landon nodded his head, and watched as Alex looked through the window at his family. Alex wasn't the same as he remembered him, but of course that was so long ago, Alex was young back then and he had only met the young teen very briefly. Back then Alex wanted to be a great Time Force officer just like his father. "Do you have a family back home, Alex?"
He bowed his head down, turning around to face Landon. "No. Both my parents died before my eighteenth birthday."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I remember your dad, a good guy and one of the best Time Force officers I've ever known."
"Yeah. He was," sighed Alex. He hadn't thought about his parents in so long that it seemed strange thinking about them, wondering if they would be proud of the man he had become.
"Never married?"
"No. Almost, but no."
"I'm sorry, do…do you still love her?" Landon searched into Alex's eyes, and for a second he almost thought he saw that same boy who tried so hard to be just like his dad.
Alex looked at his watch, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I've got to go. I'll be seeing you around." Alex then turned around and walked off, leaving Landon standing alone, counting down the days until he would have to leave his family behind.
"Here we are," said Eric, pulling into Hayley's driveway. He put the car in park and turned to her.
"Thanks for the lift." She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. But something was different in the way Eric reacted to her touch; it was like a part of him wasn't there. She looked into his eyes. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. You seem kind of off tonight, and you were quite during dinner."
He could never hide anything from her. She always found a way of seeing right through him. "It's nothing, don't worry about it." He started to lean closer to give her a kiss of his own, but she pulled back, taking his hand into hers.
"Eric," she persisted. "Come on, you can tell me."
He sighed, taking a deep breath. "Do you think Wes and Jen are moving too quickly in their relationship?"
She looked at him, slightly confused. "Do you?" she asked.
Eric looked at her, trying to find a way to respond to his own question, but couldn't find the words. He wanted Wes to be happy; he had seen how miserable Wes had been without Jen, but then there was the big question. Would Jen stay or would she go? Could she even stay? Eric knew Alex wasn't going to make it easy for Jen to stay. It was against everything he stood for. "Ah, just forget I asked. It's not important."
Bur Hayley knew it was. "You don't think it'll work out, do you?"
"It didn't work out the last two times."
"Isn't the third time the charm?" Hayley smiled.
Eric smiled faintly. "I don't think that works in this kind of situation."
"Maybe this time it will."
Eric sighed heavily. "I hope you're right."
Tommy, Trent and Alex were in Anton's room. Alex had just finished injecting the medicine into Anton's wrist. Trent sat down close to his father, taking his hand, watching as he slept.
Tommy and Alex stood back, watching. "How long do you think it should take?"
"We should know in a few days," answered Alex.
Tommy gripped his hand on Alex's shoulder. "Thanks for doing this, Alex."
Alex didn't answer, just nodded his head and kept his eyes locked right onto Mercer and Trent, hoping for a better tomorrow for both of them.