A/N: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 4

They all seemed stuck in their places after Sarah faded from the room. "This is creepy," Johanna murmured.

"You always said you believed in ghosts," Jim replied.

"I do…I just didn't expect one to pop into my living room…and you know, bring me a person that she claims is my future child."

Jim nodded. "Yeah, that is odd…and we don't even get to remember it according to what she said."

"That part kind of worries me," she admitted. "I mean how is a ghost going to make us forget?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure whatever it is, won't bring any harm to us."

Johanna sighed. "As bad as work was, I'm kind of wishing I had stayed there."

"We could've gone to my place," Jim suggested.

"I wonder if they would've found us there?" she replied.

"I guess a ghost can find you anywhere if she wants to badly enough."

"That's not exactly a comforting thought, Jim."

"Sorry."

Kate blew out a breath as she watched them. "You both do know I'm still here, right? You do see me, right?"

Jim nodded. "Yes, we know you're here…we just don't know what to do with you. We've only been parents for a few minutes and didn't have any of the fun leading up to it…so forgive us for not having it together at the moment. I mean it's not like we can give you a bottle and burp you or something."

Kate rolled her eyes. "No need for sarcasm."

"God she is like my mother," Jim muttered. "What the hell did I do to deserve that?"

"I am not like Grammy!" Kate exclaimed.

"Tell that to your smirk," he countered. "It gives me chills down my spine."

"Oh please," she muttered before glancing to her mother. "Are you going to say anything…at all?"

Johanna hesitated, she didn't know what to say to this stranger…and it didn't help that she could feel the animosity that her guest clearly had for her. She didn't want to do this…if this was her future daughter then things must be bad between them…very bad and she wasn't sure she wanted to know why and for how long. After all, it had been a long year so far, Colleen's wedding and all of its dramas…the fight with her mother and being distant…her grandfather's passing…an explosive fight with her father that led to more distance between her and her parents. Jim had been her anchor through it all, even whisking her away on the best vacation of her life. He was her rock, the most steady thing in her life at the moment as she was slowly being pulled back into her family fold.

"Well?" Kate asked. "Are you just going to stare at me all night?"

"Don't talk to her like that," Jim stated. "She didn't ask for this anymore than you did."

"I guess you really have always been her lord protector," she replied. "I mean I know you coddle her…but I didn't realize that it went back this far."

"Standing up for someone doesn't mean you're coddling them."

"Believe me, the way you do it…you coddle."

"Stop it!" Johanna exclaimed. "You don't know anything about us."

"Actually, I know quite a bit about you," she replied.

"Apparently your ghost friend doesn't think so or you wouldn't be here," Johanna shot back. "And believe me, I wish my evening was going as it was originally planned instead of this."

"So sorry to ruin your romantic pizza date at home," Kate replied.

"It's not a date," she remarked.

"Pretty sure it is but I get it, we're in that era where you both are in denial about your relationship and I definitely don't want to disturb that."

"Shut up," Jim said before he could stop himself.

Johanna laid her hand on his arm. "Don't get worked up over it," she told him. "It's been a long day…that seems to be getting longer with every moment. Let's just dial this back and try to get through it."

He nodded. "What do we do now?"

"Are you hungry?" Johanna asked, raking a hand through her hair as she met Kate's sharp gaze.

Kate couldn't help but smirk. "Even in a different universe, that's still your first question…because if we're eating, everything is fine, right?"

Johanna shot her a glare. "What's wrong with asking if you're hungry? You claim I'm your mother…my mother always asks me if I'm hungry."

"Yeah; it's a stalling tactic."

Johanna's brow rose. "And yet, if I say yes, she feeds me…if I say no, she doesn't."

"I know, you're a clone of your mother, I get it…but some things fall out of fashion; like this need of mothers to have their adult daughters home for dinner all the time."

Jim eyed her. "I'm a son and my mother still wants me home for dinner at times; what's your excuse for that?"

"Old fashioned ideals," Kate replied.

Johanna's glare hardened. "Hey, if you don't want to eat a piece of pizza with us, then by all means starve…but we're having dinner like we planned. You're an uninvited guest anyway…that I could throw out in the street but I haven't."

"Well why haven't you?" she asked.

"Because I don't know what would happen to you out there…you say you're from the future; you might not be able to survive in my world."

"Oh, Mother, please," Kate said as she rolled her eyes.

Johanna's nose wrinkled as she glanced at Jim. "You're right, we must not have done a good job with her."

"You don't like her either?" he asked.

"She's kind of hard to like at the moment…very standoffish."

"And a smartass," he added.

Johanna nodded. "Yeah…must be my mother's curse at work."

"She cursed you so well that our kid apparently takes after my mother," Jim replied. "And for that, I apologize to you."

"It's just the way my luck runs, honey," she said. "Grab the pizza, let's go in the kitchen; I'm hungry."

"Me too."

Kate watched as her parents gathered up their pizza and headed for the kitchen. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked.

Johanna shrugged. "You can either come in and sit with us and eat, come sit and don't eat, or stay in here and brood…whatever your heart desires."

"You know, you're not exactly a ray of sunshine yourself," Kate said as she followed behind them.

"I haven't had the best day," Johanna replied. "And then I come home to this."

"It wasn't my idea."

"I know…it wasn't mine either, and yet I'm being judged for offering hospitality despite your inconvenience and mine."

Kate fell silent, watching as her mother moved around the kitchen, pulling plates down from the cabinet, while her father moved to the fridge to get drinks. It was odd to think that they weren't officially a couple in this year that she had been dropped into…and yet they moved around each other with the same ease that she was always accustomed to seeing.

"Do you want a beer?" Jim asked.

"Don't give her beer," Johanna chastened.

"Why not?"

"She's your daughter!"

Jim shrugged. "She's of age according to what she told us."

"So…it still seems wrong," Johanna remarked.

"No beer," Kate said, the sight of her father holding a beer bottle making her stomach clench but she schooled herself not to give in to her knee jerk reaction. She couldn't tell him why she didn't want him to have it…she had to keep his troubles with alcohol to herself.

"Soda?" Johanna asked.

"Sure," she replied, watching as her mother opened the fridge and took out two glass bottles of Coke.

"I almost forgot that they didn't use plastic bottles for soda during this time," Kate remarked.

Jim glanced at her as he opened the pizza box. "Coke's in plastic bottles in your time?"

She nodded. "Plastic bottles or cans…once in awhile you can find it in a glass bottle but it's usually a special occasion thing."

Johanna said nothing as she poured drinks, allowing Jim to open the box of pizza and put a slice on their plates.

"Are you sure you don't want a slice?" Jim asked Kate.

The sight and smell of the pizza made her hungry but she wasn't sure she should say so.

"You can have a piece if you want it," Jim coaxed, feeling as though he should try to act like a father since she claimed he was one. "You should probably eat."

She watched her mother as she kicked her heels off in a corner of the kitchen where a few other pairs had been discarded during the week. "Some things never change," she murmured.

"What?" Johanna asked as she finally broke her silence, her brow furrowing in puzzlement.

"You always leave a small pile of shoes in the kitchen…usually by the back door."

"Back door? Do I have a house instead of an apartment?"

Kate nodded. "Yes."

"She leaves shoes everywhere…she has more shoes than a department store," Jim remarked.

"I know," Kate replied.

"How do you know?" Johanna asked.

"Because you've always had tons of shoes."

"Not always."

"I find that hard to believe," she replied.

"I have a brother and a sister; I didn't get every pair of shoes I wanted when I was a kid. We got shoes for school, shoes for church, sandals for the summer, boots in the winter…sometimes an extra pair of dress shoes or sports shoe…but not all of the shoes I wanted."

"So why do you have so many shoes now?" Kate asked, remembering that Sarah had suggested that she ask.

"Because I can."

"So it's to soothe your inner teenage girl?" she questioned as she sat down at the table.

"No," Johanna said as she met her eye. "I buy shoes because I like them…because I want them…and because now that I'm a grown woman with my own paycheck, no one has the right to say I can't have them or that I have enough."

"I see," Kate replied as she absorbed the information.

"You see what?"

"Middle child trauma," she commented.

"What the hell does that mean?" Johanna asked.

"I think she's implying that you were deprived as a child and now compensate with shoes," Jim remarked.

"I was not deprived as a child," Johanna stated. "I had everything I needed."

"But not everything you wanted," Kate said as she picked up a piece of pizza from the box.

"No one gets everything they want…did you, Jim?" she asked.

"No; my mother wouldn't let me buy that signed Babe Ruth baseball card I saw in a sports shop," he remarked. "I had birthday money but she made me put half of it in the bank."

Johanna gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry you didn't get your card…maybe we can find you one one day."

He smiled. "That would be nice. Do I still like baseball in the future?"

"Yes," Kate replied. "And you still collect old baseball cards."

"And she still collects shoes?"

"Yes; that's why I said some things never change."

Silence fell for a few moments, awkwardness settling over the table until finally Jim spoke once more. "What's the future like?" he asked. "You said 2014…I've read articles that say they think there will be flying cars by then."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but no flying cars; we're not living in the Jetsons," Kate replied.

"There go all of your sci-fi hopes," Johanna commented.

"At least for the moment," Jim replied. "After all, we're not supposed to remember this…not sure I believe that part but I guess we'll see."

"I'm afraid to know," Johanna said before glancing at her guest. "Macy's is still around, right?"

Kate nodded. "Yes, your favorite store is still there…Bloomingdales too."

"Good."

"What other technology is there?" Jim asked.

"Computers…and by that I mean small computers that everyone has in their homes. A lot of people have laptops…and there are tablets…not writing tablets," she hurriedly said. "A tablet is kind of like a larger version of the phone, you can go online and use different apps and such. TV has hundreds of channels…and they're not big and bulky like they are in this time. We have flat screen tvs."

"What do you mean by that?" he questioned.

"I mean that TVs are flat and thin…you can hang them on the wall like you would a picture."

"Seriously?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes," she laughed. "You have one…well more than one."

"I like the sound of it," he admitted. "What about cars? How are they?"

"You'll like them, but you still love the classics."

"Do I still have my Camaro?"

"No, not the one you have now…but you're restoring one just like it."

Jim smiled. "So I have cool hobbies in the future, good to know…even if it is temporary. Am I still working?"

"You're what they call semi-retired," Kate explained. "You do a lot of behind the scenes case building, but once in awhile you'll slip in the courtroom with a friend."

Jim noted that Johanna had been quiet for awhile, her gaze on her plate as she ate her pizza. "What about Jo? She's probably a judge by now in your world."

Kate shook her head, schooling herself not to squirm. "She's retired."

The comment made Johanna raise her head. "Retired? Completely retired?"

"From the courtroom, yes," Kate said slowly. "But you still work…you teach law classes at Columbia."

"Oh," Johanna replied, a touch of disappointment in her voice.

Kate was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out why that information was upsetting to her. "Did you want to be a judge?" she asked.

Johanna shrugged. "I don't know; I haven't really thought about it…I just…it's strange to think of giving up my career to teach."

"Actually, you taught law classes several times while I was growing up; you enjoy it."

"It's hard to imagine, but I guess Mom is probably happy…she always wanted me to be a teacher."

"Really?" Kate asked; she didn't recall her mother relaying that information before.

"Yeah, she's not big on my career choice…so I'm sure she's happy that I've given it up and switched to teaching. Is she happy?"

Kate hesitated as she met her mother's gaze. How could she tell her that Naomi McKenzie was long gone by her point in time?

Johanna held her gaze, seeing her hesitation and her mind worked quickly. "She's gone?" she whispered.

Her eyes closed, God she hated this; how could she tell her this?

"Is she gone?" Johanna asked once more.

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

Tears filled Johanna's eyes as Jim's hand stretched towards her and curled around it, giving it a squeeze. "What about Dad?" she asked even though she hated to know.

Kate shook her head. "He's gone too."

Jim swallowed hard, figuring if Johanna had to be in anguish with knowing, that he may as well know about his parents too. "What about my Dad?" he asked.

"They're gone too," Kate murmured.

"Dad and Mom?"

"Yes."

Jim sucked in a breath, the news like a sucker punch to the gut.

"We're going to be orphans," Johanna said softly.

"Not any time soon," Kate hurried to say. "Believe me, I knew all of my grandparents and have lots of memories of them, so, believe me, it's not any time soon. I even knew my two great grandmothers."

"That makes me feel a little better," Johanna said, flicking away a tear. "But still."

"I know…I had hoped the topic wouldn't come up," Kate admitted.

"That's my fault," she said as she did her best to pull herself back together. "I shouldn't have asked…I don't think I want to know about the future."

"Some of it sounds fun," Jim said, giving her hand a squeeze as he tried to push his own feelings away about the knowledge of their parents.

"I'm not so sure about that," Johanna replied. "Things can't be too good there or she wouldn't have been sent here."

"We don't know that for sure; we don't know what her issues are," he said before glancing back to Kate. "Any idea why a ghost feels that you need the Christmas Carol treatment?"

Kate swallowed the bite of pizza she had taken. "Sarah's a busybody."

Johanna eyed her. "So a random ancestor just chose to pick on you today?"

"It feels that way…but I have a feeling that she doesn't see it that way."

"If I'm with you in the future like you both claim, then why does she think you don't know me?" Johanna asked. "You're not lying about me being there…are you?"

"No, I'm not lying about it. You're alive and well, please relax about that."

The look on her face suggested that Johanna was skeptical of her words.

"You're looking at me like you can't trust me," Kate remarked.

Johanna shrugged, flicking a lock of dark hair over her shoulder. "I don't know you…so how I can trust you?"

"Because…you always trust people."

Her brow rose. "I assure you that I don't…especially people I don't know."

"You always seem like you trust everyone from the get-go," Kate replied.

She shook her head. "I don't…I know better than that. I don't know you…I don't even understand what's going on here so how can I trust you?"

"What reason would I have to lie?" Kate asked.

"Maybe you don't want to upset me."

"Believe me, I don't sugar coat things for you," Kate retorted. "You've been coddled enough by my father."

Jim's brow rose. "Are you going to make that lord protector crack again?"

"No, but it's the truth."

"Are you sure I'm your father?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Have I ever taken you out to a garage?" he asked.

Kate smirked at him. "No, but you've threatened it a time or two."

"I have a feeling I should have if everything you're saying is true."

"Why would I lie about any of this?!"

"I see people lie every day," Jim answered. "It keeps me employed."

"I see liars every day at work too," Kate retorted.

"Are you a lawyer too?" Johanna asked, her eyes brightening at the prospect.

"No, I'm a cop."

The light dimmed in her mother's eyes as her nose wrinkled. "A cop?"

Kate felt her defenses rise. "Is there a problem with that?"

Johanna shrugged. "It's just not a job I'd want my kid to have."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"I'm not disappointed."

"Tell that to your face," Kate shot back. "I know your gripes about my job, about it being dangerous, but maybe you ought to think about how your job can be dangerous too, so don't sit there and look down your nose at me."

Johanna sighed deeply, looking to Jim as she did so. "I'm willing to give you custody of her…I'm clearly not cut out for this motherhood thing."

Jim shook his head. "I'd rather pay you child support to keep her."

"Wow," Kate remarked. "I feel the love."

Johanna glanced at her. "I don't exactly feel warm loving feelings from you either."

Kate scoffed. "Sarah thinks I don't know you and yet you seem the same here as there so I don't know why I have to do this."

"I must be a terrible mother," Johanna murmured.

"I'm sure you're not," Jim consoled.

"I figure I have to be," she remarked. "I can literally feel the anger rolling off of her…I don't even know her and I just want to cry because I can feel the anger and hatred from her."

Jim shook his head. "It's just the situation we're in Jo," he soothed. "It's been a long week, an even longer day and now this…and I hate to mention it, but you know…I have picked up on the fact that there's usually a few days a month where you're a little weepy or temperamental…so…maybe you have girl stuff going on."

Johanna nodded as she gave him a small smile. "I probably should count my days."

He smiled. "That's probably all it is…and you know, sorry for mentioning your personal business."

She laughed softly. "It's okay…I guess really not much is secret between us anyway."

"In the year I come from," Kate remarked. "You don't have to worry about counting days…you're past that stage."

Johanna blew out a breath. "Telling me I'm old doesn't make me feel better. You've mentioned being married…are we grandparents?"

"No! I've only been married a couple months."

"Good, then I don't have to think about that."

"It's funny to hear you say that when you've been telling me to give you grandchildren."

"So you claim," Johanna replied. "But it's not something I think about now."

"What do you think about now?" Kate asked sharply. "Because where I come from, thinking isn't always your strong suit; you get deep into dwelling though."

Johanna studied her for a long moment. "Right now I'm thinking about how I ended up being a bad mother…because clearly I am one or you wouldn't look at me the way you do. Before you popped into my living room, I was thinking about work…about if I'm going home for dinner on Sunday…dreading certain topics…thinking about things that are my business and my business alone."

"It's alright, I know you think about him all the time," Kate replied.

Her chin jutted upwards, her eyes snapping with fire. "You don't know a damn thing about what I think about."

"There's that chin jutting up…that McKenzie arrogance," Kate remarked as she held her gaze.

Johanna's eyes narrowed. "You're a real bitch, aren't you?"

She smirked. "I learned it from the best…you."

"Hey," Jim interrupted. "Let's stop this before there's bloodshed…because she will slap the hell out of you," he told Kate before turning to Johanna; "And I don't know what could happen to you for doing that since there's weird things at play here…so…let's calm down."

Johanna nodded as she worried her bottom lip, her hand curled into a fist as it laid on the table. He reached over and covered her fist with his hand, smoothing his thumb over her skin. "It's going to be okay," he murmured. "Just keep thinking about how she said we wouldn't remember this…which I'm thinking is a good thing because if you remembered it, you probably wouldn't want to have my kid."

"The thought of birth control pills is on my mind at the moment," Johanna said, her tone laced with tension.

Jim smiled. "Not going to lie, I'm thinking about stopping at the drug store for condoms."

She laughed a little. "I wouldn't blame you…I mean we know that apparently you picked a bad mother for your kid."

He shrugged. "Hell, I don't think she likes either one of us so…you know, at least you're not alone in that boat."

"I guess that's true," she murmured. "But it's depressing to think about…to know it's going to end up that way. I'm glad we're not going to remember…because it would keep me awake at night, thinking about what's to come…that we're doomed to be bad at it. I don't want to have to think about that."

"Me neither," he agreed. "I wish we weren't thinking about it now."

Johanna gave him a small smile. "You'll be glad to go home."

He shook his head. "No…I don't want to leave you here with her…I might just sleep in the car so I'm close by."

"You can't sleep in the car," Johanna told him. "I'd worry all night about you being out there."

"I'm worried about you being in here."

"I'm not going to hurt her," Kate spoke up. "I promise she'll be fine."

Jim sighed deeply; he wasn't so sure of that…but he had a feeling he wouldn't have a choice but to believe it.

"I'll be okay," Johanna assured. "But you don't have to leave yet…don't leave yet, okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere yet, sweetheart," he promised. "And even when I do leave, I will be calling to check on you; don't worry."

Kate sighed deeply. "You two make me feel like some kind of criminal. I have no weapons. I have no desire to hurt her. I don't even want to be here…but I am…and I guess we have to deal with it."

"Well, if you're here to ask some kind of questions to know me better as you claim, then maybe you should ask them and we can get it over with," Johanna suggested. "What do you need to know?"

Kate shrugged. "Honestly…I have no idea."

Johanna blew out a breath. "I'm suddenly getting the feeling that you're going to be here for awhile."

"I'm not happy about that either," she replied, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. What if she was stuck there until she learned whatever it was that Sarah wanted her to know? What would she do then?