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Author's Chapter Notes:

Are these the real answers?

“We need to talk,” Julie started, ignoring his comment about how she got into the building.

“Talk?” He asked sitting next to her on the step. “I knew it was a bad idea not to get your first jump information.”

Julie sighed. “You still trying to get that too?” she asked frustrated over the whole thing.

Kevin flicked his hand in the air. “It's not important. What did you want to talk about?” he asked staring straight ahead.

Julie looked at Kevin's profile. To have seen him this morning with some gray in his hair looking older to know, looking younger was still strange to Julie. His eyes now did not have the same look to them, there was a gentleness lacking when he looked at her now. Something changed in him over the years leaving the hard Kevin she saw sitting next to her now in the past.

“What was that conversation with Brian about?” she finally asked.

“You heard that?” Kevin seemed embarrassed by her question.

“Yes,” she answered looking at him expectantly. “So...” she prodded after a few minutes sitting in silence. Not that she minded watching him in the silence.

“Fine,” Kevin spoke and turned towards her. “Brian asked me to cover for him so he could have a few days with his wife for the birth of their son. I obliged but...” Again Kevin looked embarrassed. “...I hate being on such a mundane mission, so when his time was up he came begging for more time. I know I should, he's got a new family, but it's boring being here.” Kevin rubbed his forehead, avoiding Julie's gaze.

She was shocked that he would admit this to her and she watched him in silence for a few moments. “Wow, you are kind of a jerk.” She scooting over and bumping his hip.

“I know,” he admitted. “Are you going to tell me how you got in?”

Julie waved away the question since she herself didn't know, or understand how she got inside, but instead continued with her own questions. “Is there a rogue volunteer inside the project?” She asked. No pint trying to second guess herself any longer, she just ended up with headaches when she tried to do that. She wanted answers and she really wanted Kevin to be the one to tell her.

Kevin looked at her, apparent shock on his face, his mouth open slightly, staring at her.

Julie nodded. “I take it by your reaction that there is and you now want to know how I know. I'll tell you this, I have a resource but I won't say who right now until I have some more answers. I have had a very confusing couple of days and I just want to know what is going on and why I'm being drug into it.”

“What answers?” he asked.

“What is Brian's mission?” Julie looked him square in the eyes searching for any hint, any reaction that might give him away as working against the project, working with Brian as a rogue volunteer. As usual, this Kevin's eyes were hard to read.

Kevin sighed and stood, moving to a sitting area with chairs that looked more comfortable than the steps. “Come over here with me, take a seat, and I'll answer.”

She followed him over and took a seat. She was only sitting for a couple of minutes before Kevin hoisted her up and wrapped his arms around her. She breathed in his scent, relishing his arms being around her. She didn't even notice when he turned the device on his wrist didn't realize until the heat flooded through her indicating a jump.

When the feeling went away, she pulled out of his arms and slapped his chest. “How dare you!” she screamed at him.

It appeared that they were still in The Library so she ran for the door, but Kevin was faster. “Why did you bring me here,” she yelled. It was obvious they jumped, she felt it, but to when she still didn't know.

“You demanded answers, so I brought you here.” Kevin caught the attention of a young woman walking towards the stairs, obviously avoiding the twosome.

“Erika, I need you to do me a favor,” he walked closer to her and spoke in low tones. Julie strained her ears to try and hear what it was he was telling her, but only caught “2012” and “Charles”. The young woman, Erika, nodded and turned in another direction. “Oh, and Erika,” Kevin shouted after her. “Take Steph, things are likely going to get worse.” The woman waved her hand in the air acknowledging his order.

“I hope they get there quick, leaving Charles alone right now appears to be more dangerous than we originally thought.” He turned back towards Julie and held out his arms. “Julie, welcome to Chronos Project.”

“Our original and most important mission was to find displaced persons and return them home. Over the span of only a couple of months one of the younger volunteers decided that he knew better than our directors and founders. He talked about repairing time, fixing wrongs to make the world better. Dr. Dorough and a few others took him aside and explained why what he wanted to do was wrong. He agreed, seeing the error in his logic.” They were walking now, through that mysterious door on the first floor, and onto stairs that led down. Julie had to walk faster than she was used to just to be able to keep up with the taller man.

As they descended, Kevin continued. “We thought it was over, and it probably would have been too, if I hadn't done what I did.” He stopped briefly and turned towards her, his face had an awkward smile but Julie could see the sadness in his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that he'd done. When he started talking again, he obviously wasn't going to tell her either, yet.

“There was a mission to find a displaced girl and we discovered that she was in China. We sent the volunteer after her and a couple of days later he stated he completed his assignment. He was assigned several more cases, each one he claimed he completed. He was becoming our most successful volunteer. With so many successes though it was only a matter of time before a time auditor was assigned to look into some of his cases to make sure he was completing them according to procedure.” They reached the door at the bottom of the stairs and Kevin held it open for her.

Julie was somewhat amazed to hear that they had time auditors. It impressed her that they would take the time to make sure that history was not changed due to someone stepping on a butterfly, or if something was altered, she hoped they would attempt to fix it. She turned her attention back to Kevin as he continued to speak.

“What was discovered in the audit was unsettling. You see,” Kevin stopped and turned towards Julie, “our devices let us go back in time, but if we spend a day away, a day of our actual normal time will also pass for us. It was supposed to be a check point for us, a way for us to travel but not age years. To look forty when our family thinks we are thirty-five.”

Chills crept down Julie's spine and spread to every limb of her body. He mentioned family. Thoughts of him telling someone he loved them came rushing back and her heart broke. She focused back on the words coming out of his mouth to avoid thinking about it any longer. They continued walking.

“This volunteer, well, he found a way to bypass that. The auditor found tiny fluctuations in his jumps indicating the alteration. Turns out, a couple of days to us could be several years to him. He would come back to make it look like he was gone two days, when really he'd been gone years. By the time the auditor discovered this, the months that had passed for us were years for him. We didn't know, and still don't know exactly what he is up to.”

“I don't understand, you said something you'd done helped send this volunteer rogue.” Julie stopped him from their seemingly aimless walk down the hall. She glanced sidelong and noticed it was the hall she walked down with him in the further future.

“He doesn't really like to talk about that,” Dr. Dorough said as he walked towards them from the other direction. “So is this the young lady that was smart enough to send you that letter?” Kevin's only response was a nod.

“Hello,” Howie turned towards Julie. “I am Dr. Dorough, but you can call me Howie.” He reached out his had in greeting.

Julie took his hand and smiled. She was glad to see Howie again even if he didn't know she'd met him once before. “Julie,” she introduced herself.

“You have made quite a stir around here.” He spoke motioning for both of them to follow.

“How's that?” She asked. She didn't mean to ruffle feathers, she just wanted answers.

“You are the first displaced person that found a way to contact their volunteer from the past. You are the first displaced person to make their way back to their own time without any volunteers help, at least of the ones I talked to.” Howie opened a door to a room and motioned for her to enter.

“Am I in some sort of trouble?” she asked suddenly concerned seeing the room with only a table and three chairs. An interrogation room.

Howie shook his head as she took a seat, Kevin and Howie sitting across from her. “Kevin says you won't say how you returned.

Julie shook her head. “I can't.”

“We've never known of a displaced who kept their memories, meaning no first jump information.” Howie continued.

She could only continue to shake her head. How would she be able to tell Howie that he was the one that allowed her to keep them? “I can't tell you how.”

“Kevin says he's found you outside The Library.” Howie had information flowing. It was very much starting to feel like an interrogation to Julie.

“Today I found her in The Library,” Kevin added.

“Really? In The Library?” Howie turned to her and smiled. “Who let you in?”

Julie stared at the men emotionless. “I let myself in.”

“You show up there, you have knowledge about our project no other displaced has had, and I assume by the bit of conversation I heard on the way down, you know about the rogue volunteer. You can see how this looks for us.” Howie concluded.

“You think I am working for the rogue volunteer?” she asked, though she knew by the questioning that they did.

“We know he is recruiting, we know some displaceds and volunteers have joined him.” Kevin spoke this time. Was that disappointment in his eyes when he looked at her?

“I cam to The Library to confront you, I had reason to think you were working for the rogue volunteer.” Julie pointed to Kevin.

“I most definitely am not working with him.” He looked appalled that she would even consider it, and he added with venom. “He knows I'd never work with him, he hates me.”

“Why?” Julie asked trying to keep concern out of her voice and keep it mono-toned.

Kevin looked down at his hands but Howie answered. “It's not important at the moment. We actually brought you here to request your help.”

“I thought you thought I was working for him.” Julie was confused, again which was nothing new in her life recently. “If I was working for him, maybe this is all a ploy to get you all to give me information to help him.”

Howie shook his head. “We believe he is using you to get back at Kevin. I am sure you know who we are talking about by now?”

Julie nodded. “Nick,” she answered, more sure of herself than she'd felt in a long time. Though Nick wanted her to believe it was Brian, he just didn't fit. Nick though, with all his pleas for help from her, she never felt like she was getting the whole picture from him.

“What do you want me to do to help?” she asked, resigned that if she didn't help them they might keep her here or worse, get her first jump information by force and return her to a life devoid of the experiences and worse, devoid of Kevin.

“Play along.” Howie answered.

Chapter End Notes:

Finally! Julie gets REAL answers.