According to the time travel book+, there happened to be some anomaly in space and time continuum that night which hit both of them together, hence they were transported to the past. To go back, they needed to be together when another anomaly occur at the right time.

"But, there's one catch," Neal said, "Once we return to our time, one person will forget about our life here, in other words, one person will forget about our love here."

"Really?" asked Candy worriedly.

Neal continued, "The other person has no more than five minutes to remind him or her or else they will forget forever."

"It sounds like a story from one book I read," Candy said. "Could we bring a token or something to remind the one who forgot? They did that there." She couldn't believe that this back to back time travel was really happening to them.

"No, we can't bring an object but we can have a poem. But, only when the love is a true love does it work," Neal said gloomily. "If I were the one who forgot, it'd be easy for you to remind me because I know my love is a true love. In addition, although I teased you a lot, I didn't mind talking to you. But, what if you're the one who forgot? That'd be more complicated."

"But, my love is a true love, too. Why do you doubt me?"

Neal looked at her with eyes full of doubt. "In our real world things were complicated, I was really your enemy. You didn't want to even look at me, how would I even have the opportunity to read you a poem in five minutes?"

In fact, he had more enemies than friends in his real world. Here, he had tons of friends whom he had fun with. He was kind of afraid to go back. Furthermore, what if he lost Candy? Did it really worth it to go back with that horrible risk?

He sighed and said, "I start to get used to live here. You do too, don't you?"

"I do. But, we should try it. I am worried about Ms. Pony, Sr. Lane, Annie,...," Candy sighed. "I also miss my job..."

Candy started to get used to live here, but knowing that there's an option to go back to the future, Candy would like to go back. Sir William was always nice and made her feel at home, but Candy really missed her many friends she had in her own world in addition to her beloved job. She always liked to have a career while here she felt like an upper class puppet who had nothing else to do but to look pretty to greet guests. She knew she'd miss Sir William greatly. Neal also missed his own parents and sister. He wondered how they were doing. The only draw back was the fear to lose Candy. After some thinking, discussions, weighing all the risks, they agreed to try.

"The book also mentioned that we shouldn't tell anyone about our journey to the past either," said Neal. "Otherwise, one person would go back and the other one would stay. We will forever be separated in time."

Candy acknowledged.

"According to the calculation in the book, tomorrow night would be one of the right times," said Neal.

Candy was very excited, she couldn't wait to go home. Neal then prepared a poem for them to memorize. He was silent and thought seriously for a while. Finally, he wrote it down in a piece of paper and read it to Candy.

"I met you in the past and I loved you.

I meet you now and I still love you.

I will love you again if we ever meet in the future,

I love you forever."

"I am a book seller not a poet, but what do you think?" He grinned. Candy loved it so much. She's very impressed of her multi-talented man.

Finally Candy said, "So are you really the one who makes the Leagan family rich?" She laughed.

"My grandfather did, I shouldn't take too much credit for that. He'll really do very big things later in his life. He'll become a timber baron, media mogul, owner of publishing company among other things. If not, my mom would not even care to look at my dad." He grinned.

"Who will be grandpa Neal's wife?" asked Candy.

"I don't know, I can ask my dad who his mother is. I doubt he knew as much details as we do though," he laughed. "I didn't meet them often because I grew up in America. I never payed attention to my dad's story either. I only know her name is Hilda."

"My name here is Hilda Candice," said Candy.

"Oh? I didn't know that," said Neal.

"Your neighbor's daughter is also Hilda," said Candy with a suspicious look.

"It doesn't matter. I know many neighbors whose name is Hilda. According to the book, we and them are totally different people. We have our own future and will create our own path. Maybe this world Candy will marry this world Terry eventually, who knows?" said Neal. *

Just like to the ones who went back to the future, the people left in the past needed to have true love to one another otherwise they'd lose memory about everything that happened to each other.

He hugged Candy, "I don't know which woman or which Hilda will be grandpa Neal Leagan's wife but I know who Neal Leagans's wife will be. It's you. I only want to marry you."

Candy was very happy to hear that. They discussed and talked until sunrise. Without they realized it, outside was already bright and the sun was out. Candy then planned to go home.

"My coach has been waiting outside since last night," she laughed.

They parted with high hopes, excited they'd go back to the world they really belong. Neal would pick up Candy tonight outside the mansion at the side gate.

-0-0-0-0

That night Neal planned to say good bye to his parents. When he was at the doorway of their rooms, however, he stopped. He didn't know how to do it. He's afraid he couldn't hold himself not to cry. His heart ached thinking that he'd never meet them again. At the end, he ended up sitting in the living room and did some work to ensure they'd be fine after he left. Before going to bed, his mother came to approach him.

"You are still up, Neal," said his mother. "You should go to bed, don't work too hard."

"I am doing accounting," said Neal. "Mother, our business is doing fine. If it continued being like this, I could hire a servant to help you doing house chores."

His mother laughed, "I am just a simple woman, I never dreamed to have a servant."

Then she said more seriously, "I know we can count on you, son. I always do. But go to bed, don't work too hard. I'd rather see you healthy then working too hard to hire me a servant."

"Mother, take good care of yourself and father. Remember that I really love both of you so much," said Neal. He tried so hard for his voice not to break and to shed a tear. He wanted so much to hug her and tell her that he's leaving, but of course he couldn't do it. As written in the book, the time travel had to be kept secret from anyone or he and Candy would always be separated in time.

"You behave as though you're going to leave, Honey," his mother Martha gave him a scrutinizing look. "Oh, our neighbor told us about that pretty girl who accompanied you the other day."

Instinctively, she wondered if Neal planned to marry her and moved out from their house. "It indeed would be thrilling to see you give us a grandchild, Neal." She said with a motherly smile.

Neal blushed.

He laughed and said, "She's my old friend. Oh, by the way is father still up?" Neal tried to avoid the topic of him going away somewhere.

"He's on the bed reading," said his mother.

Neal went to see his father. He stood at the doorway and stared at the old man for a while. Even with that frail body, he worked hard, suppressing the pain and carried loads until he finally collapsed trying to support them all. What an honorable husband and father. After a while his father noticed Neal's presence.

Neal smiled at him. He went inside and told him about his plan to expand the store. "Father, I've arranged to move our bookstore to a more spacious building in a better location. It'll have sunlight in the morning. You'll have your own space to rest too when you are in store."

Aaron was very happy and proud of his son. He tried to sit. Neal hurriedly supported him to help him sit on the bed. He hugged Neal. Neal felt happy he could do something more for the old man before he left. Seeing how frail he was, it made him relieved that this old man's son would do more, in fact, much more for him later.

That night after his parents slept, Neal quietly went outside to meet Candy. As soon as he was outside, he cried. His heart was heavy thinking about his parents. Simple people with noble hearts who made him see his purpose of life. He loved them so much. He owed them the world. Without them, he would be forever the spoiled Neal with no future and direction. While seeing the neighbors' houses, he thought about his neighbors too. They had been wonderful friends whom he would never forget. They taught him the true value of genuine friendship. On the way, he stopped by to meet his horse. He patted it and fed it directly from his hand. He hugged his horse and said good bye in tears, thanking it for helping him to earn his first income and be his first business partner. He said good bye to everyone silently one more time. He promised he would never forget them and would miss them all. Finally, he really went to meet Candy who already waited for him.

Neal went to the side gate and whistled like an owl three times as the sign that he'd arrived. Candy whistled back. She had been waiting for him up in the tree. She climbed down using one branch of the tree to meet him outside. They hugged. They then hurriedly went inside the nearby woods.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," Neal said after they're far enough from anyone to hear. "My heart was heavy to say good bye to my parents. They mean so much to me and also my friends, my horse, ..." He sighed.

Candy hugged him to show her sympathy. "Thanks for letting them go and accompanying me going back home."

Neal cradled Candy's cheeks with his both hands. Among the darkness of the night, his honey eyes tried to look at hers with the tenderest affection.

He said, "I love you. The time for us to travel back to our time should come at any moment now. Let me kiss you until the time comes. I am afraid I won't have that opportunity anymore once we return."

Suddenly he's worried of all messy problems he'd face back home. He was a rotten spoiled kid who was not in good terms with many people especially Candy. What if he lost her. In desperation, silent drops of tears crawled out of his eyes, one after another, soon they turned into a flowing stream of heartache that ran down his face and dripped from his chin. Feeling the warm water droplets dripping on her hands, she realized that he's crying.

"I love you, Neal. Don't worry, I'll prove you soon that my love to you is deeper than what you thought," Candy wiped his tears and kissed him.

Neal was worried that this would be their final kiss and that Candy would be gone for good. He kissed her as if it's their last kiss, like they wouldn't kiss anymore. Tears flew non-stoppable in his face. Suddenly, everything was spinning and became blurry.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBZzzzzzzzzzz...

-TO BE CONTINUED-

So much for traveling in time :O Can't talk much more than disruption in space time continuum. Hahaha...

Thanks for reading.

NOTE:

+ Neal found the book accidentally in chapter 7.

* Terry and Candy of the past has an open ending. Everyone has their own future which they need to carve.