Julie groaned as she started to come around after being hit on the head by Steph. “What the fuck,” she muttered as she tried to rub her hand on her head but found that it would not move that far. She tugged harder but it was no use, she was chained to something next to the bed.

“I didn't want to have to chain you up, but you gave me no choice,” Nick's voice came from the shadows near the door and he stepped closer to the bed and into the light.

“I thought you didn't want to hurt me, but you let your minion clobber me over the head.” Julie snarled at him. She knew he could not be trusted.

A flash of anger went over Nick's face as he sat down. “I told her to wait for you to bring you back; I didn't think she'd club you.” He looked at her apologetically.

Julie managed to sit up, her head pounding with pain. “I don't suppose you brought any Tylenol into the past with you since you have no regard for the implications of the actions in the past.”

Nick shook his head, picking up the glass of water and handing it to her. She timidly reached out with the hand that wasn't chained and grabbed hold of it, sipping it as she glared at the man sitting too close to her for her comfort.

“I shot you, how did you live?” she asked between sips.

“I stabbed you, how did you live?” he shot back at her.

She continued to glare at him sipping her water. Finally, he sighed and started to talk. “I had set my device to a time I knew that no volunteer would look for me, but my rogues would venture. I traveled to the future. You'll understand why I won't tell you the exact date; many of my friends are there hiding from you and your friends.”

Julie raised her eyebrows and handed the now empty glass back to Nick. She watched as he ladled more from a pot into her glass and handed it back to Julie. She declined and pointed to the bread and fruit. Nick handed her the tray which she set in her lap and started to graze from it.

“So I had jumped to the future and I was found by a man that looked a little like Kevin it startled me. I knew it couldn't have been him, he could not still have been alive and since he wouldn't travel to the future, I relaxed and let him help me. He took me to a hospital where they tended my wound. So here I am, like it never happened.” He stood and lifted his shirt so she could see his chest, just as she remembered it, scar less and lean.

Julie couldn't help but think of their nights together as she sat looking at his chest. She licked her lips at the memories. Nick's laugh forced her to look back down at the plate of food in her lap. “Once you've had Carter, the rest will have to try harder.”

Julie groaned and rolled her eyes as he laughed at his own comment. “Well I see the future couldn't cure the dork in you.” She chanced saying.

“I have missed you, Julie. Believe me or not but I really have.” Nick moved to sit next to her on the bed, grabbing some fruit off the tray and reclining like the Romans as he ate them. “The future cured me of something else too,” he sighed. “While I was under for them to repair my bullet wound, they noticed an abnormality in my DNA.” He looked towards her like he expected her to know what it was he was getting at.

“I didn't realize what that had meant until I tried to jump and it didn't work.” Nick looked at the device on his arm. “I figured that they had taken that gene out of my DNA.” He sighed.

Julie wondered why Nick was sharing this with her. Did he really think that if he shared some of the hardships he came across after the she shot him that she would really care? “Why are you telling me this?”

“Be patient, it has everything to do with your current situation. Don't worry about jumping while I am in the middle of explaining either, I can promise you that won't happen.” He took another bite of the fruit he was holding.

“They found your blood, lots of it.” Julie spoke up remembering her conversation with Tessa.

“They found my blood but not all of it was mine.” Nick shrugged.

“But how?”

“I can't give all my tricks away Julie, though I have vowed not to hurt you and I've actually missed you, I still believe we are in disagreement about certain things.” Nick looked side long at her.

“Yah, like you wanting to change the past.” Julie muttered. Silence fell between them, both silently munching the fruit and bread on the plate. Every so often one would take a drink.

“Is that all you wanted to tell me?” Julie asked when the plate was finally empty and her stomach felt comfortable.

Nick shook his head. “No,” he replied. “When Steph finally found me we tried to figure out what could be done. She and I went everywhere together, I had to take her so that I could jump. It was risky though, if we were to get separated or what not.” He paused and looked into Julie's eyes. “Plus, it was awkward being around her. I had to take her everywhere. I mean, I knew she wanted to be with me but...”

“You mean you and her haven't?” Julie asked, a look of astonishment on her face. The way they acted in Rome she thought they were already doing the horizontal mambo.

“I can see where you'd think that, but no.” He leaned closer, a smile playing on his lips. “She is useful but contrary to what you might think, I do not sleep with all the women I have contact with.”

Julie let out a small laugh and moved away from Nick, his closeness was unsettling. Her heart fluttered when he smiled at her and she felt ill that she liked it. She had thought any feelings she had for Nick would have gone after he tried to kill Kevin, if they hadn't already been gone after he stabbed her in an attempt to kill her.

“I had to be able to control my jumps,” he continued seemingly unaware of the effect he had on Julie. “The only person I knew that could help me was Charles, but I couldn't just waltz in there and ask him, now could I?”

It dawned on Julie what he was saying and she reeled around to face him. “It was you, you kidnapped Charles!” She tried to slap him across the face but Nick anticipated the move and grabbed hold of her wrist.

“I needed him, I am not harming him. He is safe, I just needed him to help me.”

“How did you get him out? Like you said, you couldn't walk in there and neither could Steph.” She tried to pull her arm away from Nick's grasp but he continued to hold it tightly.

Nick shrugged and ignored her question, continuing to discuss his issues. “Charles tried to inject me with the gene to change my DNA again, but it did not work. So he came up with something that would allow me to control my jumps, but I would still have someone to jump with me.” Nick held her eyes as he licked his lips before continuing. “Somehow he was able to create a virus that would combine my DNA with the DNA of another person with that gene to go through time and you don't have to be near them for it to work.” He held her eye contact, his face closer to hers.

“The virus that Steph injected in me?” She started as she caught on to what Nick was saying. “I am jumping with you? So they aren't random jumps?”

Nick shook his head. “I chose you to be my companion on my jumps, I don't mind you with me as long as I can control the jumps. I have to apologize about those first few jumps I did to test it out. I had to make sure it worked.”

“How did I get back to twenty-thirty? And two weeks later at that?” She asked still pulling her wrist away, her left arm unable to come to the right arm's aid.

“Sorry about that,” He blushed and looked down slightly embarrassed. “I didn't know exactly when you left twenty-thirty and couldn't get you back exactly right.” He looked back up into her eyes. “I toyed with not letting you go back, the thought of you with Kevin. I admit it bothered me more than it should.” He dropped off and looked away, releasing her wrist. “I knew he lived...” he muttered before she could ask.

Julie sat quietly thinking about all she said. The virus was what Steph injected her with. Somehow it connected her to Nick so when he jumped she went with him. It would explain why he saved her from the fire but didn't explain why he chose her. Just because he didn't want to be around Steph was not an excuse and he had several other volunteers he could have asked or used.

“Why me?” She asked him finally.

Nick shrugged and turned to face her. One hand holding her right arm down, the other caressing her cheek. “I told you, I missed you. That and I need your help.” With that he pulled her close and let his lips fall on top of hers.