It's unbelievable but I believed you
Unforgivable but I forgave you

Keely sat outside the police station with Phil, both of them sitting under the porch to protect them from the rain. Keely had just been in for questioning, and it looked like Dean was going to be put away for a while. Not forever. But at least he would get what he deserved.

"Keels…" Phil said, trying to convince her to talk to him. He had so many unanswered questions.

Keely looked at Phil, and then looked back down at her hands. "I knew you'd want to know all about why I did it. You were always asking questions like that back in high school. Look, I still don't particularly want to talk about it. But I guess, if it's to you. You always seemed to make things better. So, shoot. Ask me the questions and I won't tell you no lies."

"Why did you get involved with him in the first place?" Phil asked, trying not to sound rude.

Keely sighed. "I got involved with him, because you had been gone for about a year, and he came along, and…I don't know. He just, was so unlike you in so many ways. And I thought that if I got involved with somebody it would ease the pain a bit. He didn't hit me at first. He was charming, and nice. I never fully loved him, but I didn't think that would matter. But then, about two years after I met him, he began to hit me. It got worse as the years went on. But before last night, he'd never knocked me unconscious. And before last week he had never stabbed me."

"But when he started hitting you, why didn't you leave him?" Phil asked.

Keely looked at him, and he saw that her eyes were full of tears. "Because he would hurt me more. If he found me, then he'd hit me for trying to escape. I didn't have anyone to protect me. You had gone, and I didn't want to be alone anymore. I couldn't face being alone."

"You changed Keely. You changed so much. Why?" Phil said, sympathetically. He took her hand.

"I changed because I had to. Standing out would anger Dean. I couldn't do it. Standing out would draw attention to me, and if anyone found out, Dean promised to kill me. I didn't want to change. But you leaving forced me to change, even if only slightly, and then, I couldn't bring myself to change back," Keely sobbed.

Phil sighed. If he hadn't left, maybe she would be fine. No. If he hadn't left, she would have been fine. She wouldn't have ever even talked to Dean. "I feel really guilty…"

"Phil. You saved my life tonight. And you came back to me when you knew I was in danger. You weren't the one beating me up every chance you got. You have no reason to feel guilty. I should feel guilty for having to make you give up everything. You gave up your family, your other life. Just for me," Keely said, her eyes welling up again. "Can I ask you some questions now?"

Phil just nodded.

"Why did you look? At my life?" Keely asked, wiping away the tears. "Not that I didn't want you to. I mean, in doing so, you probably saved my life. But why?"

Phil took a deep breath. "Because. Well, because I loved you Keely. Right from the moment I first saw you, I felt something there. And I couldn't believe my luck when we became best friends, and you accepted me for who I was, and slowly but surely, we both began to feel what we thought was love. Didn't we?"

Keely nodded, and a tear trickled down her cheek.

"And then Dad fixed the time machine. And then we had gone. I had to say goodbye to you. And that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. So I looked you up. To see how your life was. If you were happy, then I would try to be happy too. If you were sad, then I would be forever sad. I can't explain what made me do it, better than, love made me look at the Giggle," Phil said. "Did that answer your question?"

Keely nodded. "But there's something else," she choked. "Why me? Why would you love me, when you could have had any girl at that school? I'm useless, and worthless. Why would you love me?"

Phil reached out and touched Keely's cheek. "You're not useless and worthless. You're priceless, and indescribable. You're perfect just being you. And that's why I love you."

"Thank you," Keely whispered, and hugged Phil.

It was all going to work out fine.

Okay, there is one more chapter, which will be up today, because I have nothing to do today either. I'm debating about writing a sequel, but I might not, because I really need ideas to be able to do that, and there is only so much whacking-your-head-on-the-table-to-get-the-ideas-out that you can do, before you need medical attention.