Leslie opened the door to find Sara standing there with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Aw, honey," she said. "What happened?"
"I left," Sara cried. She fell into her sister's open arms and sobbed into her shoulder.
"Come inside," Leslie encouraged. She led Sara in to the living room and hugged her again.
"I'm so stupid," Sara said, muffled by Leslie's shoulder.
"Why are you stupid?"
"I thought I was okay. I thought it wouldn't happen."
"What wouldn't happen?" Leslie pressed.
"I'm pregnant," Sara gasped out now. Leslie stiffened, shocked.
"Is it...?"
"It's Arthur's."
"Then why are you standing here?" Leslie demanded.
"I didn't tell him," Sara whimpered. "I didn't tell him, and I found the ring, and I freaked. I freaked out!"
Leslie's heart broke for Arthur, who had no idea.
"Can I please stay here for a while?" Sara asked. "I promise it's not forever."
"Stay as long as you need, babe," Leslie said, hugging her sister tight again. "I'm here for you. Always."
Sara held on to her like she was a lifesaver. She hurt thinking about what she had done to Arthur, but there was no going back now. It was done.
...
Joe turned the coin in his fingers over and over as he looked at Arthur sitting across from him. The man was broken, that was clear to see. It was a week since the girl had left, the girl whose name Joe still didn't know. It was a bit maddening really.
"Still nothing?" he asked. He couldn't help it. Sitting there in silence was torture.
"No," Arthur answered. He hadn't touched his food on the plate. He drank the beer, though.
"Maybe...maybe it's for the best," Joe tried. "I mean...better to know now than five years later, right?"
Arthur lifted his eyes to meet Joe's, and the anguish there was startling. Joe swallowed, feeling like an idiot. He hoped he would never experience what Arthur was right now.
Without another word, Arthur threw down some bills and got up to leave. Joe didn't stop him. He knew when a man needed to be alone.
...
Arthur wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. He sat in his truck outside Leslie's house, gripping the steering wheel hard with his hands. He knew she was in there. Where else would she go? Brenda had told him Sara had quit and claimed she just "needed to move on." He looked at the front door, debating.
He could just go in there. He could demand an explanation, but what would it really do for him? She probably would refuse to even see him. In the end, his better judgment went out the window, and he climbed out of his truck. When he got to the door, he paused. What would he even say?
It opened without him even knocking, and Leslie stood there.
"Hey," he said, a little startled.
"I wondered if you'd ever leave your truck," she commented, crossing her arms. There was no invite to come inside, so he knew Sara was indeed in there somewhere.
"I'm not going to bother her," he began. "I just...I just needed to tell her something before I go."
"You'll have to tell me," Leslie said. Arthur saw her eyes flick to the left slightly, so he knew Sara was there listening.
"I will never stop loving her," he said after a moment. "I will always be there when she needs me, and I'm not angry at her for walking away from this. I'm confused and hurt, but not angry. I'm sorry if I scared her with this." He held up the ring box in his fingers, and Leslie eyed it. "It's hers and only hers. She doesn't have to ever wear it, but I want her to have it." He handed it to Leslie, who took it gingerly.
"Okay," she nodded.
"That's it," he finished. He pressed his lips together in a grim sort of smile before turning to walk away. He didn't turn around to see if Sara was watching. He had meant what he said. Maybe it was over for her, but it would never be over for him. He'd rather be alone than with anyone else. He got into his truck and started it, thinking about how much he was going to miss her. Maybe he was crazy for being so in love with someone who didn't want him, but he didn't care.
He still had hope she'd come back to him one day.
...
Sara had listened to the entire thing. She heard the emotion in his voice. She felt terrible for what she was doing to him. It was all she had to not chase after him and change her mind. When Leslie closed the door, she turned to look at Sara sitting there leaning against the wall.
"I think, sister, you broke his heart," she said softly, handing Sara the ring box and going into the other room to finish her laundry. Sara turned the box in her hands, not looking inside. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him. She felt a stirring and put her hand over her baby and started to cry.
...
Joe opened his door to find Arthur standing there. It was late, and the man looked like a train wreck, so Joe let him in without a word. Arthur went to sit down and put his head in his hands. Joe sat across from him, waiting.
"I'm lost, Joe," Arthur said finally. "I'm lost, and I don't know how to fix it."
"I don't know how to fix it either," Joe admitted. "But I am here for you. You know that, right?"
"You're all I have," Arthur said, looking at him now. "In this world, you're all I have left."
"And I ain't going anywhere," Joe grinned. "You're stuck with me." He knew how Arthur felt. He had no one either. No one but Arthur.
"Good," Arthur nodded. "I got your back always, okay?"
"Okay," Joe replied. "I got yours too."
Arthur moved his arm out, and Joe reached to bump his fist back. It was the two of them against the world, and he was glad for that.
2041
"Why do you even have a bullet proof vest?" Joe asked as he waited for Arthur to get ready. Abe had a job for him that did not include killing an incapacitated man. Something had come up in this timeline that needed to be dealt with, and Arthur was ready. It had been a long time since he had to calculate how to kill someone.
"Because it saves lives," Arthur retorted. He loaded his gun and holstered it. Joe chuckled.
"Do you remember the first day we met?" he asked.
"Yea," Arthur nodded. "You were a messed up kid who needed direction."
"I said to myself, 'This guy is strange.' And I'm right. You are strange," Joe laughed.
"One day you'll see just how well this vest will save my life, and you'll realize I'm not that strange after all," Arthur said. He was ready to go, and he went to grab his keys.
"Have fun," Joe commented. "We on for tonight?"
"No. I'm going to see Cid."
"Right. How's that going?"
"Well, thank you."
"Still nothing on her?" Joe asked.
"No," Arthur shook his head. There was no word on Sara. He felt his hope slipping away more and more each day, but he had Cid to look forward to.
"Okay. See you later," Joe said as he walked out behind Arthur. "Happy hunting."
Arthur didn't reply. He and Joe had grown even closer in the last three years. Aside from Cid and Leslie, Joe was all he had. He didn't take that for granted.
Evening
Arthur sighed as he walked up the steps. He was late, but his job had gone later than expected. He had called to let Leslie know. He knew he couldn't keep waiting for Sara, which was part of the reason he kept coming here. There was a much bigger part that made him keep coming back, but his hope that Sara would return was always there. She had disappeared in the summer of 2039, and no one knew where she was, not even her sister. He smiled as Leslie opened the door for him now.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
"Cid is going crazy wondering where you were," Leslie laughed. "Come on."
She moved to let him in, and he was charged at by a young boy almost instantly.
"Artur!" he cried, leaping into his arms. Arthur chuckled inside every time Cid said his name. He still didn't have the "th" down pat yet.
"Hey, you," he said back, ruffling the boy's hair and adjusting him so he was holding him with one arm. The boy was starting to get heavier, though. He knew he wouldn't be able to pick him up soon.
"He saved it just for you," Leslie added as she walked to the living room. There was a remote-control race car in pieces on the floor.
"Oh boy," Arthur said. "What did I tell you about taking apart your toys?"
"It's fun," Cid insisted. Leslie smiled as she left the two of them alone and went to make dinner. She didn't have it in her to keep Cid a secret from Arthur once Sara had abandoned them. She kept her promise to Sara, though, and didn't tell Arthur that Cid was his son. She let on Cid was hers and that the father had bailed upon hearing she was pregnant. Since she hadn't seen Arthur in a year, it was easy to go with this story. He hadn't been around to see her not pregnant. Arthur had been outraged at her being left alone and promised her he would look after them, and he had been very true to his word. Leslie wished Sara could see how good of a father Arthur was, for that was how Cid viewed him.
She watched them now as she cooked. Cid was a very special boy, but he never lost his temper when Arthur was around. He never became so angry that he hurt someone. Leslie shivered as she thought about the poor cat. It had been the first time she'd ever seen something like that, and she knew it was because of Sara's extra special telekinetic abilities. Cid had inherited them and then some.
"Dinner," she called about twenty minutes later. Cid had to be coaxed by Arthur to leave what they were doing to come eat. Cid insisted on sitting next to Arthur, which was granted.
"Thanks," Arthur said to Leslie with a smile. She smiled back. She felt angry at her sister for hurting Arthur the way she had. This man before her was amazing. If she wasn't so loyal to Sara, she'd have made her move on him by now. They could be a family to Cid. It was something she considered a lot, if she was honest.
Once the meal was finished and Cid went to wash up, Arthur leaned on his hands and looked at Leslie.
"Still nothing?" he asked.
"You ask me that almost every time you come here," she answered. "I will tell you if I hear from her. I swear."
"I just don't understand how she could cut you off from her life," he went on. "I mean, you're a single mother. She could at least come be an aunt sometime."
"My sister has difficulty getting attached to anyone, remember?" Leslie prompted. She waved his help away with the cleanup process.
"I remember," he said quietly.
"Artur, let's finish now," Cid said, returning. He tugged on Arthur's hand, and Arthur let him pull him back to the living room. Leslie wondered if she really was doing the right thing, letting Cid know Arthur. It gnawed at her a lot.
After Arthur tucked Cid into bed and said goodnight, he came down to find Leslie sitting on the edge of the couch and playing with her fingers.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm just tired," she smiled weakly.
"I'll be back in a couple of days," he said, not knowing what else to say. She nodded.
"Okay."
He pulled out some bills to hand her, and she tried to stop him.
"We're fine," she promised. "I don't need it."
"Just let me," Arthur said. "Please? What else do I have in my life?" Leslie felt bad for him, so she reluctantly took the money. She was putting it away for Cid's future anyway, anything Arthur gave her. He gave a small wave then and went to the door. Leslie watched him leave, and she felt like a coward all over again.
...
Sara was lost, but she enjoyed being lost. She danced and she used drops. She spent time with strangers and did what they asked. She drank. She smoked. She did everything to try and stop the image of Arthur's pain from entering her mind as well as the fact she abandoned her baby. Most of the time she succeeded, but then there were times like this when it just wouldn't leave her alone.
"Babe, what's going on?" the guy she was currently spending the evening with asked. He made her skin crawl, but she needed the cash.
"Sorry," she said, shaking her head a little. "Just got distracted."
"Well, get distracted with me," he ordered. She obliged, but she still thought of Arthur. He'd never use her this way, and he was always gentle. She cried afterwards in the bathroom as she looked at herself in the mirror. Who was she? Who had she become? What was wrong with her? She wiped her eyes and did her best to look chipper when she went back out onto the floor to work. She thought of her son and Leslie. She hoped they were okay. She had cut contact with them because it hurt too much, and she knew she'd never be a good enough mother for Cid. She had named him after her father, who she thought about every single day as well. Her mother too.
She deserved to be lost. She deserved to have nothing. She had failed to stop her parents from getting killed, and she could have fought harder than she did to make them check the car. She didn't deserve love or happiness. This was exactly what she deserved, being someone's pawn, being used.
She closed her eyes as she let a new stranger turn his attention onto her. Arthur was better off without someone like her. She would stay lost, and he would find someone better, someone who actually deserved him.
She didn't know how badly things would eventually change in her future.
2043
Sara had received the call from the police and sat on the couch feeling extremely numb. The officer's words had been harsh in a way.
Your sister was killed. We have no suspects. We don't even know what happened to her. Her son is here, and you're listed as his next of kin and guardian. You need to get down here.
Sara pressed her fingers into her eyes carefully, the loud music from the party behind her pulsing. Her sister was killed. She knew what had happened. Leslie had been telling Sara ever since she contacted her six months ago that Cid was special, that Cid would lose his temper and make bad things happen. She'd told her about the cat. He had no control over it. Sara didn't bother to tell the police this. Let them look for someone they were never going to find.
She stood and went to pack a small bag. She wondered if Arthur would find her there. She didn't think he'd been around, though. Leslie had promised not to tell him about Cid.
In a few hours, she reached the farm to find Cid being entertained by a female officer. They all gave her sympathetic looks as she walked towards her son. He had some remnants of blood on his cheek, and she knew it was Leslie's. She tried not to shiver.
"Hi, Cid," she said to him when she had stopped in front of him.
"I don't know you," he replied, turning his head away. She felt the cut from his words, but she knew she deserved them.
"Can we talk for a second?" the female officer asked, gesturing. Sara followed her to a private room.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Cid is really upset," the officer started. "I'm wondering if it's a good idea for you to take custody of him."
"Excuse me?"
"He keeps talking about someone named Arthur. He says Arthur is his father and wants to live with him."
Sara felt the shock of these words hit her in waves. Arthur knew Cid? Cid called him his father? What was going on here?
"I'm afraid I don't know any Arthur," Sara said. "My sister never mentioned him. She wasn't married, and there was no father that I was aware of. But I am his aunt. I know I haven't visited in a while, and he doesn't remember when I was around as he was quite young when I left."
"He will adjust," the officer said finally. "They always do, but it will be hard. It's why I thought maybe this Arthur fellow..."
"No," Sara cut her off. "I'm family...blood. Custody was granted to me, so I'm going to be taking care of him."
"Yes, of course," the officer nodded. Sara left to rejoin Cid, who was watching her carefully now.
"I'm here to take care of you, Cid," Sara said, bending down to his level. "It's what your mother wanted."
"No!" Cid shouted, clenching his fists. "I want Arthur!"
"I'm sorry," Sara said. "But you're stuck with me."
"No!"
Sara already felt at a loss, and she had only spent three minutes with her son.
"Cid," Sara said firmly now. "I'm looking after you. Arthur understands."
"You talked to him?" Cid asked.
"I...yes," Sara lied. "I did. He said to tell you that you have to be brave for him, that he'll see you again."
Cid contemplated this, and Sara felt terrible for lying, but she had to get him out of there before Arthur himself came looking for him.
"Okay. I can be brave for Arthur," Cid nodded.
"Good," Sara said, feeling relieved. "Come on. We have to stay somewhere for a bit while this is cleaned up." She held out her hand, but Cid ignored it as he walked ahead of her. The officer handed her a duffel bag and a back pack of Cid's things they had packed for him. She took them and thanked the officer. Then she set off with Cid into an unknown future, one she was absolutely terrified about.
...
Joe was laughing about some joke when Arthur saw the news article on his phone. He jolted to his feet in a hurry.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Joe asked, looking at him.
"I gotta go," Arthur answered, grabbing his coat and rushing out of the diner. He drove fast to Leslie's house, and he felt very sick to his stomach upon what he saw there. It was still taped off, and officers were everywhere. He found the officer in charge and went to speak with them.
"Excuse me," he said. "Hey, what happened here?!"
"You can't be here," the officer said firmly.
"My friend Leslie lives here," Arthur went on. "And her son, Cid. Are they all right?"
"I can't release any information at this time," the officer insisted. The look on his face said it all, though. Something terrible had happened here.
"Can you just tell me if they're all right?"
"I'm sorry. I can't say anything."
Arthur growled in frustration and pulled out his phone to call Leslie. She didn't answer. He gripped his phone tightly and felt even sicker. No one would give him any answers, no matter how hard he tried. He was left feeling awful inside and came to the conclusion that both of them had died.
For the second time in his life, his heart was broken.