It seemed like hours before Erika emerged from the ship but Julie knew it couldn’t have been, the attack still had not happened, in fact when she looked at her watch it was still only seven fifteen.  Julie watched as a man followed Erika off the boat, watched as they sneaked back through the gates.

“Let’s go,” Julie motioned to Kevin to follow her.  Erika said something to the man that had followed her off the ship and they went their separate ways.

“I’ll get him back where he belongs, you go after Erika.” Kevin announced.  Julie stopped in her tracks for a brief second; Kevin was going to make sure that man was on the ship when it got hit, he was going to sentence the man to death.  She found it difficult to start moving again.  Kevin was holding her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

“Julie, we have no idea what he does on that boat before it sinks.  For all we know he saves someone, perhaps he gets a bit of information to his commanding officer that they are able to pass along to the remaining fleet that helps the remaining ships.” Kevin reasoned.

“But he dies.”

“It’s likely,” Kevin sighed.  “But what ramifications will there be if he lives? Who will he save that should have died, who will he prevent from living? We can’t take that chance.”

Julie nodded and kissed him quickly.  “Good luck.” She smiled briefly at him before returning her attention to Erika.  She watched the woman walk confidently through the streets.  It was only a matter of seconds before Julie had caught up with her.

“Erika,” she whispered to the woman. 

Erika turned and looked at Julie, slightly shocked to see her but she played it off like Julie knew she would.  “Julie, what are you doing here?

Julie nodded. “I had to talk to you.”

“Me?” Erika looked back towards the pier before continuing. “What do you need with me?”

“You are my only chance of proving my innocence.”

“I don’t get what you mean?” Erika said sounding a little too innocent with her inflection.

Julie grabbed hold of Erika’s arm and held tight.  “I know you and AJ are responsible for taking payment to change history. You two are working with Jessica.  I need you to admit it to prove Kevin and I are innocent.”

Erika shook her head still playing innocent.  “We were sent here to fix something a rogue volunteer had done.”  She grabbed hold of Julie’s hand and tried to pry it off of her.   “That man was never supposed to be on the boat.

Julie shook her head.  Erika’s eyes were pleading with her, she was having a hard time not believing her friend, but why wasn’t Erika accusing her of changing history, why wasn’t Erika determined to take her back to the project.  She sighed; it was more proof that Erika knew Julie was innocent already. “You can’t fool me Erika; it makes too much sense that you are involved.  There is no one else. It’s not me, it’s not Kevin, and all the proof is pointing to you and AJ.”

“What if it is? What makes you think what you are doing is right? We are saving lives, helping people prosper and in the process we are making a comfortable living for when we decide to leave this all behind.  I don’t want to be a volunteer forever.”   Erika’s face transformed from the friend she knew when she smiled, there was something behind the smile that caused Julie to shudder.

Julie started to pull Erika towards the direction she left Kevin.  She was walking backwards; it wasn’t until she felt something crash into her head that she understood why Erika was grinning like she had been. 

Julie groaned when she came to.  She knew immediately she would not be able to rub her throbbing head when she felt the bindings around her arms and feet.  “Not again,” she mumbled remembering the last time she found herself bound.

“She’s awake,” She heard Erika call out and her eyes flew to look at her former friend.  AJ soon came into view.

Julie looked between the two then took in her surroundings, she noted Kevin standing close by his hands and feet tied also, but his mouth was covered.  His eyes pleading with her to forgive him for the situation they were in.

“What happened?” She asked.

Erika smirked. “My man is smarter than yours.” She giggled.  “AJ noticed a tail and doubled back, he caught Kevin and it wasn’t long before he realized you were around also.” She shrugged.  “Did you two think you could stop us?”

“Of course they did,” AJ said plainly.  “Kevin thinks he can do anything and anything he does is right.  I kind of can see why Nick had it out for you so badly.” 

Nick, they were still talking about him like they didn’t know he was alive, they hadn’t caught him.  She would have sighed if she hadn’t felt water on her feet.   “What?”

“Pretty smart idea if I say so myself,” Erika piped up.  “Though we aren’t close enough to Pearl Harbor, which will be bombed shortly, the sinking of this craft will just be thought of as part of the attack.  You are going down in history.” Erika laughed at her own joke that no one, even AJ seemed to find that funny.

“Babe,” he said and she shut her mouth.  “We need to leave.” He grabbed hold of Erika’s waist and pulled her along.   They stopped at Kevin and he ripped the tape over his mouth off.  “You can at least say your good-byes, I owe you that much.” 

“Erika!” Julie shouted after her but the girl did not respond.

The water was slowly inching up and was soon mid-calf to Julie. “Kevin, I’m so sorry you are here.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I am with you.” He smiled at her though he could see the tears in his eyes.  He knew this was their end. 

Julie thought about everything, this would be the second time Kevin time they would lose each other.  Julie tried to remember all the good times they shared, she did not want to ever be without him but she wouldn’t have to worry about that.  Suddenly she was struck with a thought, she met Kevin in twenty forty-five, and he was alive.  Something about what Nick said about pushing them together and the sad look in his eyes, perhaps it was because she had died here, now.  She clung to that thought and forced a smile.

“Kevin, I know you will get out of this, I know you will live, you will go on.” The water crept up further and now Julie could hear the sounds of bombs and gunfire outside, it was a distance away but not so far that the disturbed water did not rush into their sinking vessel faster.

“How do you know?” His voice was quiet, barely audible above the water.

“I can’t tell you how I know, I just do. I know that you will live.”  The tears were flowing freely from her eyes now as she came to terms with her own death, the thought that Kevin would live kept her from completely falling apart as the water covered her chest.

“Then I know you will live too.” He looked at her, his face serious his eyes full of love. “Because I have no future if you are not in it.”

Julie could hardly see Kevin through the tears falling freely from her eyes.  She noticed he had stopped struggling to free himself and simply stood holding her gaze.  As they stood looking at each other in their final moments Julie felt a searing pain rip through her side.  What creature had Erika and AJ left in the water with them?  She tried to hide the pain from Kevin but he knew she had felt it and he smiled at her, the water reaching his mouth. She couldn’t understand his smile until the nausea swept over her and she found herself sopping wet, hands and feet bound a few feet away from Nick far away from the pier.

Coughing up water, she screamed out as Nick bent to untie her.  “Kevin!” She could no longer see through the tears in her eyes. She was numb to Nick’s attempts to comfort her.  She knew why Kevin had made that comment, her heart hurt so badly she knew she would not be able to live now that Kevin was gone.