Thanks to Aimofdestiny for the beta of this.

Sarah stumbled through the forest, feeling worse by the minute. Her shoulder was aching like hell and for a few minutes now, there was this dizziness worrying her. Paul had told her she didn't have much time left to handle this. She would wake up in her own time very soon. And she was clearly looking forward to meeting Kurt there to show him what she thought of him.

There were fresh footprints in the muddy ground in the forest. Sarah decided to follow them quickly. Stumbling over a branch, she almost fell but managed to keep herself on her feet in the last second. Ripping the fabric of Steve's shirt on another big branch, Sarah found Claudia lying on the ground.

The caretaker was bleeding from her arm and forehead. Somebody had hit her. Quickly, the time traveller crouched next her to check her pulse, shooting nervous glimpses at everything around them. The redhead's heart was strong, beating a little irregularly, like on somebody who just got Tesla'd. Well, that might actually be the truth, couldn't it? Sarah sighed. Maybe she had found the explanation for the caretaker's memory loss in the future.

With shaking hands, the girl reached for the static bag and the gun from Claudia's hand. She needed a place to hide the stone so nobody would find it. So Kurt Parker couldn't get it. She had to trick him into believing she was hiding it for him. Instead she needed a little time, time to find his younger version, time to get out of the machine and be able to fight him.

Everything that happened this day has already happened. The ink in which their lives are inscribed is indelible. It was her mother's rule. Not Kurt Parker's. It was her home, not Kurt Parker's.

Sarah needed Adelaide...

"I have the stone." Sarah mentioned. "I will bring it to the little well down in the forest to drop it inside it. How about that? It's just... isn't that a good deal? The well is dry so nothing can happen to it. And you can get it and keep it."

You are bringing it to a well? Kurt asked. Good, good.

"You should go there and get it, Kurt. It's my little message to you, isn't it?" Sarah tried to find his weak spot. There had to be something. He was in control of her family and friends. She had to find a way to get him away from them. "Like you once sent me a message, right? A fanmail, hoping I'd reply. I probably never did, Kurt? I'm sorry."

You should be. The criminal in her head replied indignantly.

It was only a short walk, not much. She could manage it, even with her shoulder hurting like hell and her head spinning.

A twig broke somewhere in the forest. It had been quiet but Sarah had clearly heard it. She just hoped Parker in the future hadn't heard it. The time traveler looked up to the sky, finding Hugin and Munin flying circles over the point where she thought she'd heard the breaking branch. Sarah grinned. This was her damn Warehouse. Why did he think this was only his game? It was also hers. And clearly, the Warehouse was working for the writer.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah ignored the pain in Steve's shoulder and started running. It was hard, that shoulder felt like it was about to combust, but she didn't care. She didn't care at all. She had to do this. She ran and ran for minutes through the trees. And then she found the well. Quickly, she approached it and dropped the artifact bag into it.

"There it is!" Sarah growled. "It's in the bloody well. Now go look for it."

The criminal inside her head giggled again. Regent. He hissed. Regent Adelaide - Sarah grinned - who is responsible for whatever is caused from now on by this person - should go. There is nobody you could get, is there? Just some other weak, old Regents and children. All the agents are made of stone. I have made sure of that. Tricked them all into getting into the Warehouse. Took care of the ravens, illusions, damn illusions. This coat allowed me to follow this Regent and your little friend into the Warehouse. The invisible man. Ha!... good book. Your mother wrote it, right? Your mother is HG Wells, I found that out. I found out everything. Everything about you.

Julia whimpered, still sounding suffocated.

I know everything. I know everything about you, little writer. Regent! You should better go. Get that artifact. Get it!

Sarah. Adelaide seemed to be conflicted.

"Do what he says, Adelaide. We will handle this." The writer clenched her jaw. "Think about the children." She really hoped Adelaide understood what Sarah was trying to tell her.

Sarah looked at the ravens in the sky again. Kurt seemed to have manipulated them in the future, he seemed to have noticed here that they were following him on purpose. So he could do something to confuse them in the future, so Claudia didn't know about the stone. But now, right now in the past, they were working for Sarah. It was the Warehouse helping her. Maybe she could change this situation. Maybe she could do something with their help. She had travelled through time with a damn watch to keep her mother from dying! She had manipulated time itself, for crying out loud! There had to be something she could do. Even if she could only prepare something to make him vunerable in the future.

There was still the gun in her hand. Swallowing thickly, Sarah looked at it.

She had to distract him.

"If Adelaide goes to get you the artifact, Kurt, why are you still threatening my friend? Isn't the artifact what you wanted? What you needed? Isn't your obsession with it satisfied? Let them go!" Sarah pleaded. Something... she had to get him to listen to her so she could make a plan.

Oh, Sarah Bering-Wells. Do you really think I'm here only for that artifact? For a tiny stone?! Parker giggled maniacally again. Thirty years of research for a stone? Ten years of hiding from Claudia Donovan - who was really annoying by the way. For a tiny stone? You're underestimating me.

"So what do you want to do then? Blow up the Warehouse? Trust me, you're not the first one to have that idea! And it never worked!" Sarah huffed and started walking. She headed in the direction of the ravens.

No. No. Why should I care for this house? Why should I care for those tiny things in it? If there is something else, little writer. Somebody else. Haven't you seen it, Sarah Bering-Wells? Haven't you felt it? When we both touched that necklace. It's destiny. It's obsession. It's you.

The time traveller coughed. "What was that?"

We were supposed to meet, Sarah Bering-Wells. We had to meet. The artifact told me. It told me! We are destined for each other! Like your Susan and Matthew... And suddenly, Sarah became nauseous. She knew why he was here. He had written her creepy fanmail. He hadn't been looking only for his artifact. He had been looking for her. Stalking her. She was a successful writer, that's why he'd found her.

Maybe it was just the stone at first, right. But over the years... In those 30 years, I understood that, yes, indeed, I need that stone. But only as much as I need you, Sarah Bering-Wells. I cannot live without both...

He was her goddamn stalker because he had felt some sort of euphoria when they both touched the artifact. And his poor drugged brain had made a connection between the name he'd heard in Claudia's and the writer's discussion to this feeling he had gotten back then.

He was obsessed with Sarah. She knew why she had had the feeling that she knew that guy at the bus station. It had been him. He had moved to New York for her, right after her book had become successful, stalking her without her knowledge after she had become a little famous. He had found her because of her book.

He could easily get at information because that had become his job - and by now he had found out everything about her. Because he had had thirty years to do it in. And now he was here to make sure she'd meet him. He was here to find the artifact and to find her. To get both.

She asked herself where he was sitting in the future. Next to her? Close to her? Was he maybe touching her? Was he touching Julia? Sarah shook her head and tried to shove that thought out of her head. She had to concentrate.

She had to stop him. She really had to stop him! Automatically, she started running, ignoring the agony in Steve's shoulder. She had to find him. To talk him out of this. He was threatening her friend, for crying out loud!

After she had run a while, she heard another branch breaking next to her. The younger Kurt Parker broke through the undergrowth like a steer with mad cow disease and pointed the Tesla at her. Quickly, she lifted her gun, her lower lip quivering in reaction to the pain from Steve's body.

Gunpoint. Damn it. Sarah hated it.

The drug addict breathed heavily. His eyes were glistening with madness. His coat was wrinkled and ripped, apparently by raven claws.

"Stone, Sarah Bering-Wells!" He demanded quickly.

"Trust me, Kurt." Sarah stated calmly. "You really don't want to point a gun at me."

There was this high, childish giggle inside her head again. Don't you think I know where this is going, my little writer? Do you think I don't know what you're planning? I've been there, Sarah Bering-Wells. I know what happened. This is my game and I'm winning.

Sarah eyed the Tesla in front of her. It was one of the ones that didn't recharge that well. She let out a sigh of relief. If Kurt had Tesla'd Claudia with it on its highest setting in the last few minutes, then... he probably couldn't do it to her now. The time traveller grinned.

"Kurt." She whispered. "This isn't going where you think it's gonna go."

I was there, lovely writer. Look at me. Look at me standing right in front of you. We're made for each other, Sarah, we are. I will now try to shoot you. And because you are you, you will hesitate to shoot me back. The criminal in her head explained. The younger Kurt pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He looked confused. Sarah stared at him, motionless, mesmerised by the voice in her head.

Then I'll turn around and run away. The good thing is that you're fast, little writer. Sarah watched the man in front of her turn and take big steps away from her. She immediately followed him, running as well.

That's where you grip my arm, Sarah Bering-Wells in the time machine.

Sarah reached out Steve's healthy arm and his hand closed around Parker's wrist.

But you forgot I have a knife. The man inside her head gave another creepy little giggle. The time traveler's eyes widened when she watched Kurt stumble a bit while pulling out the mentioned object from his pocket. The swift blade cut through air and through the flesh of Steve's arm.

See how I marked you? The voice in her head asked. Sarah groaned in pain, stumbled and fell. She could watch Kurt running away, feeling numbed by the agony in Steve's arm again.

The writer looked at Steve's forearm, watching the blood gush from the wound. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked up again. Parker was running towards the B&B and she had to get him. So she got up, started running again, fighting the dizziness in her head that told her she didn't have much time anymore. Telling her she had to run and find out where he was going, she had to try to stop him. Change something about this situation. She was an expert on time travel for crying out loud! She had to shoot him! Shoot him so he couldn't do anything worse.

At the B&B Sarah heard somebody starting Steve's Prius. Kurt was stealing the car. He was stealing Steve's damn car because she had left the keys in it. When the time traveller made it to the front yard, she was just in time to see Parker drive away quickly. He was a damn coward! She lifted her gun and pointed it at the car. She couldn't aim properly while he was driving so fast. The writer cursed loudly and then spun around.

Quickly, she approached the delivery truck. The McKenzie brother seemed to be gone getting some coffee or something. Sarah opened the door of his truck, feeling the pain in both her arms. And of course the keys weren't there! She grunted and sat down on the driver's seat.

"Damn it, Paul!" She cursed. "Where are you when I need you? I'm a writer, not a techy."

She couldn't get this

car started by tinkering with it. But Sarah was good at finding things, she understood how people thought. Maybe there was a spare key somewhere. First, she looked under the car's floor mat. And grinned.

The truck started with a loud roar.

Are you trying to follow me, Sarah Bering-Wells? Kurt asked and giggled for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Shut up." She hissed at him and drove the car down the street, cumbersomely controlling it with only one arm - blood running down from it and dripping all over the floor and Steve's clothes. She had to follow Kurt. She had to get him, to shoot him, to weaken him. She had to change something for crying out loud! Hitting the gas pedal hard, Sarah drove through Univille as fast as she could. She shook her head when she felt the dizziness increase.

Not now. She thought. Not now. She was driving. She had to find Kurt. It was her mother's damn time machine. Not his rules! Her eyes blinked repeatedly when Sarah again shook her head.

And then suddenly, there was the tree.

Myka felt Helena's hand grip onto her thigh. She wanted to smile, but then she realized that the Victorian was utterly terrified. Quickly, she looked at her lover, finding her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed.

"Can't you drive faster?" HG asked, her voice trembling.

"Of course." Myka gave back, getting more and more confused by the minute. Something was off with Claudia and Steve, that much she was certain of. But the curly-haired woman couldn't explain why Helena seemed to be feeling such a strong connection to them that she seemed to get vibes. Or something like that.

Suddenly, there was Steve's Prius right in front of them. Myka had to swerve to avoid crashing into the other car. She furrowed her eyebrows. That hadn't looked much like Steve behind the steering wheel.

"Did you see that?" Helena asked, turning her head to look through the back window.

"That wasn't Steve!" Myka exclaimed.

"No, you're right." HG furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Should we turn around and follow the Prius?" The younger agent looked at the writer.

"Myka, watch out!" The Victorian's grip onto her thigh tightened.

A big white truck approached them, driving in dangerously close to the edge of the road.

"Oh my god, that's Steve!" Helena yelled. The truck swerved as well, slowed and then crashed into one of the trees at the roadside.

Quickly, Myka hit the brakes, spinning the car to a sliding stop, and jumped out of it, closely followed by Helena. "Steve!" The Victorian yelled. The truck was wrecked, but - thank goodness! - Steve was alive. He struggled, climbing out of the driver's seat and then dropped to the ground. Myka quickly approached him and tried to help him up. Her friend was breathing heavily, he waved his gun around in front of him. There was something wrong with his shoulder, his other arm had a fresh cut and he had a wound on his forehead.

"Steve, what's going on?" Myka asked, horrified. HG's partner waved his gun again and grunted. Trying to exchange a look with Helena, the curly haired woman found the Victorian looking at him with her eyebrows furrowed and her head tilted slightly. She seemed to regard her partner thoroughly.

"Listen! Listen!" Steve pleaded, looking to the upper left. "You can do with me what you want. I will do it. It's okay. But let Julia go! Let Julia and Paul go. I love them. They are my family. Oh god, I need her."

HG's eyes widened during Jinks' speech. Her mouth opened, then closed and then opened for a second time. "You're not Steve." She whispered, sounding extremely astonished.

"What?" Myka looked at her, surprised.

The Victorian blinked, leaning in closer. "I know you!" She quietly said, looking at Steve like she was seeing somebody else. "I've seen you in my dreams."

Steve turned his head towards her, blinking slowly at her, like he just now recognised who was standing in front of him. "I need help." He whispered, his voice throaty. Myka heard a loud flapping noise. She turned her head and spotted one of the big black ravens landing on a tree, where it sat and glared at Helena. Munin, maybe?

Helena touched Jinks' hand, took it into hers and looked into her partner's eyes, mesmerised. Slowly, she reached her other hand out to touch the man's cheek. "I remember you."

Myka didn't know what to say. This almost looked a little ridiculous, how Helena's index finger seemed to trace a line on Steve's cheek only the Victorian could see.

"That scar..." The Brit mumbled, causing Myka to cock an eyebrow at her. Was HG now having hallu-

"Sarah!" Helena yelled, all of a sudden, sounding horrified. "Oh god! Sarah!"

The younger agent gasped. "What?" She grunted, eyeing the man she was holding in her arms. This was Steve. This was Steve! Why was Helena talking about Sarah even though she had said that she didn't want to know-

"Oh god, I remember you, Sarah." HG repeated. "You were in Boone that day."

Jinks clung onto the fabric of her coat to pull her close. "Time machine." He breathed. "Firstly... Claudia... Claudia is in the forest. She's injured and she will need a physician. Steve's shoulder is probably dislocated or broken or something. His head hurts like hell. Get them to a hospital."

The curly-haired woman's mouth hung wide open. What did this mean? She looked at Helena, who looked pale, but simply nodded in reaction to her partner's words. Like she understood what he was saying.

"The artifact." Steve continued, his voice breaking. "The artifact is in... it's in..."

And with this, the man lost his consciousness and sagged to his knees. Myka struggled to hold him. She just followed him down, holding his head so he wouldn't hit it on the ground. With her eyes wide, Myka stared at Helena, who looked like she just had had one of the biggest revelations in her life.

*yells loudly* PLOT TWIST! *starts running off into the sunset, giggling maniacally* Okay, but no, seriously, is anybody surprised? I foreshadowed a lot about this.