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Author's Chapter Notes:

The final showdown...

It didn't take Julie nearly as long to catch up to Kevin as she had thought it would. He had stopped outside a building and was looking into a window. Julie took her time approaching him, if Nick was near and possibly watching, she didn't want to draw any attention to Kevin or herself.

“Hello,” she said as she finally reached him. She turned to face the window that he was looking in as well. It was a clothing store displaying women's clothing. She stood next to him, clutching the side with the knife wound. The altercation with Steph brought back the pain, she hoped that it hadn't ripped the wound open again. She moved her hand before Kevin could question why she was holding her side.

Kevin turned and tilted his hat towards her and started to walk away without saying anything. Julie scrunched her face slightly confused until she looked back in the window. Nick was standing across the way talking to a few soldiers, dressed as a German soldier himself. Did Nick know German? She knew from her time in Rome that he knew Latin already. Just how many languages did this man know?

She stood looking in the window pretending to be interested in the outfit being displayed but really she was watching Nick. He was motioning to the building behind him and the soldiers, Julie could only guess that this was the hospital that Hitler was currently recovering at.

The soldiers were shaking their heads and she could hear them telling Nick “Nein”. Even if they weren't shaking their heads, she at least knew that word, “No” they were telling him. She smirked to herself as she saw Nick slump off defeated for now. She wasn't worried about him doing anything to Hitler, she was worried for the doctor that cured him. If Nick had wanted to get rid of Hitler he would have done something to him as he grew up in Austria. She felt he had chosen this place in time simply because of how the doctor had cured his eyesight.

She turned from the window and started to stroll in the direction Nick was rushing off in. She saw Kevin several feet in front of her also following Nick, he would reach Nick much sooner than she would, especially since the shoes she took from Steph were a size too small and really starting to pinch her feet.

As she neared Kevin, she saw him motion for her to keep back so she slowed up her pace. She could hear their voices as she got closer, they were definitely arguing. Trying to keep out of sight, she ducked behind a wall, Kevin could see her but Nick could not.

“You just couldn't stand to see me happy. You had to be the good little volunteer and do your job and return her. Did you know what you were doing when you returned her to soon, killing her? Was it planned to return her that way, you and Charles planning to ruin my life?” Nick was saying.

“I take full blame for when I returned her Nick. It was an accident, I was overconfident when I returned her. I have to live with my mistake for the rest of my life.” Kevin had his hands out to Nick, walking towards him slowly.

“Good thing that won't be for much longer,” Julie heard Nick say. Curious as to what he was referring, she chanced it and peaked around the corner gasping when she saw a gun pointed straight at Kevin. Her palms were sweating and she wanted to rush out from behind the wall but she knew Kevin would never forgive her for running into danger. She watched as Kevin held his arms up in surrender but still made small movements towards him.

“Nick, I have to know before you shoot me. How did you know about my feelings towards Julie? I had only just acknowledged them myself that day you sent her to Rome.” Kevin asked. Julie held her breath as she waited for Nick's answer, she wanted to know too.

“You volunteers and your rules about not visiting the future. I manipulated my device but I still went by the rule not to visit the future. That was until you killed Zoe,” Nick snarled at Kevin but he remained calm. “I had to see if I ever got her back, if I ever figured out a way to save her.”

Julie noticed Nick move the gun down slightly, he wasn't focusing on aiming the gun at Kevin anymore, he was telling his story.

“I saw you there with her. You were smiling and laughing with her. You looked as happy as I had been with Zoe. It didn't take me long to find out her name. Found some more information on her and then acted. You should have seen her face the first time I met her.” Nick was laughing at his memory. “She had a good reaction though, slamming on her brakes.” His hand moved towards his forehead where he had collided with the seat in memory. But if that was the first day he'd met her, what about the day she'd met him first?
“Kevin, you will never understand the pleasure I got from that woman being with her. Knowing that I would have her before you or that I would have her and you would never feel her body the way I had.”

She could see anger starting to show on Kevin's face, though he still appeared calm standing in front of Nick with his hands up. Julie noticed he was closer, he'd been moving closer the entire time Nick had been talking.

“How does it feel to lose someone you loved but could never show that love to?” Nick spat the words out and aimed the gun back at Kevin again as if he was now aware of what Kevin was trying to do by letting him keep talking.

It was then that Kevin made his move. Quickly he swung his arm forward, colliding with the arm that was holding the gun. Julie heard the clank of metal as it landed, the gun was now on the ground. She watched as the two men began to fight. Kevin had definitely been trained to fight, he managed to evade Nick and to throw punches that actually looked as if they did some damage. He even managed to rip Nick's device off of his wrist.

“You really expect to win in a fight with me?” Nick laughed. “You trained me.”

Julie groaned to herself as she watched the two men throwing punches and evading others. Eventually Nick, tired from the dance, charged Kevin and knocked him to the ground. He sat on top of Kevin and pummeled him with punches to his face. Finally, Kevin managed to use the rest of his body and throw the younger man off of him.

Kevin struggled to stand, Nick stood fairly quickly grasping the shoulder that had struck the ground. Julie's eyes were drawn to Kevin, he needed help, surely he could not fault her now. She leaned up against the wall and reached into her belt and pulled her pistol out.

The sound of gunfire made her jump and almost drop the gun she was holding. She turned her attention back to Kevin, he was down on the ground, unmoving. Nick was standing over his body pulling his device off of his wrist.

“No!” Julie shouted as she moved from her spot, aiming the gun at Nick.

“What?” Nick looked at her shocked. “You, you can't have lived.”

“Surprise,” She shouted. “Drop your gun, I'm taking you back to the project.”

Nick smirked and started to program his device. He finished and looked back at her. “I'll be seeing you,” he said as he hit the button.

As he started to disappear, Julie fired the gun at him, noticing that he crumpled as the bullet hit him before he completely disappeared.

“Shit,” She cursed before dropping her gun and running to Kevin's side. “Kevin?” She questioned wondering if he was still alive.

He groaned at the sound of his name and Julie smiled. She pulled her device out of her belt and pulled Kevin into her lap, holding him tightly as she pushed the button to return to twenty-thirty.

“Help!” she called out as they reappeared.

“What happened?” Howie asked, it was luck that he was nearby when they returned.

“Nick shot him,” Julie looked down at his wound, blood was steadily coming out.

She heard Howie calling out to other people but she couldn't hear the words he was saying, she was busy looking at Kevin.

“Stay with me, Kevin.” she cradled his head close to her. His breathing was slowing, she was losing him. When she felt people trying to move her away from Kevin she fought them. “No,” she called out as she was separated.

“Julie,” Erika was kneeling in front of her, Kevin was being put onto a gurney and being wheeled away. “Julie,” Erika repeated.

Julie moved her eyes away from Kevin's body and back to Erika. “Where are they taking him?” her heart froze in fear. What if he was already gone and they were taking him to the morgue to perform an autopsy. She tried to push past Erika, she needed to be with Kevin.

“Julie,” Erika said loudly and held her in place. “Look at me.” she commanded.

Julie found her eyes looking at the other woman in front of her.

“He's still alive, barely. They are taking him to the operating room, Howie is going to try to remove the bullet.”

Julie looked after Kevin, she still wanted to be with him. She felt she had to be with him.

“Howie wants me to take a look at your wound and see if you are okay still.” Erika helped her walk to another room where she looked at the wound. She was bleeding slightly and would need to have some new stitches, but she could wait. Erika let her go after she cleaned it, telling her where the operating room was located.

Julie removed the shoes that were pinching her feet and ran to the room Erika told her about. AJ was standing outside already, his face sullen. There were no windows so Julie couldn't look in to see what was going on. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she crumpled to the ground, the sound of the heart monitor flat lining was the only sound she heard from behind the doors.

Chapter End Notes:

I am simply a messenger for my muse....