Chapter 7

My future son is trying to change the past!

Every time he changes something, the new memory pops into her head. Rory climbs out of the bed and grabs her keys. She has to stop him. Andromache lied about when she could travel. All she has to do is go to the lab, go back and stop him from doing what it he is doing.

She runs out the front door and hops into her speeder, but before she can start the engine, another memory hits.

She stares up at the stranger. “Nice to meet you, Far,” she says excitedly. “Are you a senior?”

He smiles proudly. “Yeah.” He has a calm presence like he’s not nervous around her at all. He seems to remember something. “What about you?” His head ducks closer to Rory’s.

“Oh, I’m a sophomore. Physics major.”

“Same here,” he says.

“That’s awesome, what a coincidence!” she fires back with a smile. Far’s eyes narrow. “Oh. Sorry. I guess it’s odd for a science major to believe in those.”

“We all make mistakes,” he says. Rory feels her cheeks getting hot. She looks back at her friends, who are watching encouragingly. Then Far grabs her arm, gently. “Don’t take offense. I used to think the same way.”

His hand is really warm—wonderful really. Saving herself for the one she loves has been a hard trial. And it’s not like she’ll ever get to be with him anyway. What normal girl gets a crush on her father, the one person on Earth she can’t have?

“Hey,” Far says. “Do you want to go somewhere a little quieter?”

Rory smiles at him. He is really cute with his bright blue eyes and pure white, muscular body. “Sure!”

Rory pulls herself out of the memory. He’s getting to her and it’s bad. She pulls out of the driveway and heads toward the lab. Far doesn’t realize what he’s doing. What if he succeeds? If he changes too much, maybe Rory won’t fantasize about her father anymore. Maybe she won’t go find him when she uses the time machine for the first time. And if that happens, her father won’t fuck her. And if he doesn’t fuck her, Far won’t even exist. And if he doesn’t exist, who stop her from going after her father?

It makes her head spin just thinking about it. Rory is more determined than ever. She has to get to get there and tell Far that her father is his father. She hopes that Dr. Andromache is in the lab to receive a piece of her mind.

Roy flies into the lab parking lot and spot’s her mother’s speeder. Fuck that’s a hard pill to swallow. She pulls in crookedly beside it and gets out, running for the door. Suddenly, Rory realizes how her father must have felt when she went back into his past. He knew she was changing things, but he didn’t know how to stop her.

At least Rory has a plan.

She steps into the lobby and flashes her work badge. She rushes down the hallway before, so vividly, it makes her dizzy. Rory has another memory that cause her to crash right into the wall.

Far and Rory wander out, past the drunken partiers and onto the lawn. “There is a park not far from here,” she offers. “I would never usually go there at night, but...” She checks him out. “I think you’ll be to protect me.”

He flashes a grin. “I won’t let anyone touch you. I swear.”

Rory believes him. “How tall are you?”

“Six-Seven,” he replies.

“Wow,” Rory breathes. “Holy shit.”

“And you’re five-five,” he adds, the grin turning into a smile.

The girl laughs. “Good guess.”

“Right,” he mutters, grinning again.

Rory blushes, happy to have his attention. “Oh, you think you’re cute, huh?”

“I know you think so.” He moves closer so they walk side by side.

“And how do you know that?” she asks. “Am I drooling?”

He laughs. It’s a rich, wonderful sound. “You’ve told me before.”

“What, like, once upon a dream?” she asks wryly.

Far laughs again. “Sure, Rory.”

“Do you have a girlfriend? Rory asks.

He chuckles lightly, taking in her expression. “Would you be jealous?”

The girl opens her mouth to toss out a retort, but nothing witty comes to mind. “Maybe I could be ... a little.”

“Well, I promise that I do not have a girlfriend,” he says all formally. “Does that make you feel better?”

She giggles. “It makes this a little more interesting. It means your options are open.”

“Oh yeah?” His eyes watch her intently. “What do you have in mind?”

Rory shivers at his gaze. He’s really into me. “Well, I bet you wouldn’t be opposed to kissing me.”

He stops walking. The park is only a few yard away, but Rory stops with him.

She realizes she’s just said something very forward and she feels shocked that she basically just offered a kiss to a complete stranger. Nervously, she looks up at him. Far’s lips are parted, his breath is deep and steady. And his eyes stare down into hers, somehow gentle and familiar at the same time. It looks a little like love. But that’s just crazy, isn’t it?

Then he chuckles. “No, I would not be opposed to it.”

The girl’s breath escapes her. She wouldn’t mind at all if he did kiss her. And that is odd even for her. She can usually only compare men to her father and they all fall short. But that comparison isn’t nagging at her now. She tug’s his hand. “Come on. Let’s go sit on the swings.”

Far smiles indulgently. “Okay ... Rory.”

Even though she basically told him to kiss her, he doesn’t rush her. Rory leads him through the park and to the swings. The fact that he isn’t pushing just makes her want to kiss him even more. They sit in the swings and he rocks himself back and forth with his long legs.

“What’s your last name?” she asks him, letting her legs swing.

His eyes dart to hers, suspiciously. “Why?”

“Well,” Rory says grinning devilishly. “If I’m going to give you my first kiss, I should at least know your last name.”

“Your first kiss?” He sounds surprised, maybe even confused.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit. Of course logic will lead him to realize that she is also a virgin. “Yes,” she sighs.

Far looks off in the direction of campus for a moment. “Adams.”

“Far Adams.” She says, rolling it off her tongue. She looks at him. His head rests against the chain of the swing. His whole attention is on her. His eyes shine like the moon. And suddenly, Rory realizes that she is turned on. Fully aroused by him and she hardly noticed it coming on.

Far nudges his swing into hers. “I’ll take that kiss now.”

Rory struggles to free herself from the memory and finds that she is sitting on the cold floor of the lab hallway. All those years of not giving in to the lust for her father and her own son is making her waver?” She doesn’t want to see what comes next, but it pulls her powerfully back.

His lips brush against hers, slowly and carefully. Tingles rush don the back of her neck, Her nipples harden. His hands circle her waist, warm and welcoming. “Mmm,” she hums, then blushes at the sound of her own voice. Far breaks the kiss and lets himself swing back into place. Rory’s fingers run across her bottom lip.

“How was it?” he asks.

The girl stares at him. “It was perfect.”

Far bites his lip to stop himself from grinning, but it doesn’t really work. “It’s late. Let me walk you home?”

Rory doesn’t want to stop hanging out with him though. Feeling a bit bold, she says, “Maybe we can go back to your place for a while?”

His eyes jerk to hers and she can see that he’s started breathing hard. It is as if he almost doesn’t want to. He lets his eyes drop to her breasts and then her legs. They snap back to her eyes. “Aren’t you afraid that I will take advantage of you?”

“Afraid?” she asks. She shakes her head. “No.”

“Don’t you want to take it slow?” he asks. “I mean, I want to keep you.”

“Keep me?” she asks, eyebrow raised.

“I don’t just kiss anyone,” he says for explanation.

It makes Rory grin. “So, you want to take me back to your place or not?”

He smiles. “More than anyone.”

“Rory!” a firm voice calls out. “She’s coming out of it now, but you still better come.”

The girl pulls herself out of the memory. Dr. Andromache is staring down at Rory, phone to her ear. “Good, the sooner the better.” She ends the call. “That was your father. What is the matter with you?” she asks.

“Someone is trying to change the past,” Rory tells her. “My past. I can feel it happening.”

Andromache helps the girl to her feet. “Who?”

“My son,” Rory answers, flashing the woman a glare.

The alien scientist stares at her. “What?”

“It’s a long story,” Rory says, wanting to say Mom, and then tearing into her. “Right now I need you to let me use the machine.”

“It can’t take you back where you want to go,” she protests, trying to stop Rory from barging into the lab. “t’s not ready for pinpoint time travel yet.”

The girl scurries by and barges in anyway. “Where is it?” Her eyes scan the room but there’s no time machine. “What did you do with it?” Rory demands.

Andromache frowns. “My colleagues and the school board had some ... disputes about the ethical implication of my machine. I’ve had to secure it in another location. As far as they and the school are concerned, I destroyed it.”

“Where?” Rory yells. “Where the hell...” she stumbles.

Rory follows Far up to the second floor of the dorm building.

He hesitates at the door. “I just, uh, changed rooms, so it’s pretty bare.” AS he says this, he opens the door and the only thing in the room is a bed, a desk and a bag on the floor. Nothing else.

“Why did you have to change room?” Rory asks curiously. “Bad roommate?”

“I want to be ... closer to campus,” he supplies.

Rory nods. But it’s too quiet. “Do you have some music on your phone or something?”

Far steps over tot eh bag. “Something like that,” he says, digging into it and pulling out something that looks like a phone—most likely some kind of Cessirian version of a cell phone. He unfolds it to reveal speakers and a touch screen. A moment later soft music pours out of it. It is rich but not too loud.

Curiosity gets the better of Rory and Cessirian technology has always interested her. “What is that?”

“It’s something old my grandmother had lying around,” he says quickly. He sets the device on the desk and turns to face the girl. “We don’t have to do anything...”

But Rory has already convinced herself. She steps closer and wraps her arms around his chest. “I know it’s quick and I definitely don’t do this kind of thing. Ever. But I just feel like it’s right. Just be gentle, okay?”

She hears him swallow, feels his hand tentatively down her arms. His sigh sound like relief. “But, Rory, don’t you have a boyfriend?’

“Huh?” she says. “No.”

“You don’t have someone waiting for you back home then?” he asks, sounding highly confused.

Rory thinks of her father for a moment. But she has already resigned herself to the fact that he is never going to be with her, lover her like she wants him to. “No. There is no one.”

Far steps back from her and turns. His eyes are wide. It’s like he just figured something out. “Shit,” he mumbles. “He’s my dad.”

“What?” Rory asks, totally confused by what’s going on. “Far, you’re kind of freaking me out now. Are you okay?”

“Not really,” he groans. “If I stop you from going, what will happen to me?”

“Stop me?” Her stomach turns. “Maybe I should go. I think this may have been a mistake.”

Far’s eyes watch her as she backs toward the door.

Rory pulls out of the memory and finds herself clutching Dr. Andromache’s shoulders. She pants with relief. Far has realized that her father is his father. He’s not going to go through with it after all. He realizes his existence will be in danger. But how did he get the dorm room? How far has he traveled back? How long has he been preparing for this?

“You need to sit down,” Andromache says, pushing Rory into a chair. “Your father should be here any minute.”

“Oh, fuck it,” Far says, approaching her and looking reckless. “As long as I don’t disappear until after.” His mouth presses greedily to Rory’s. His arms pull her in. His hands rub roughly over her back. His eyes are tightly shut and a moan of pure pleasure drags out of him. The sound calls to something inside the girl and her indecision quickly fades. She lets her hands wander inside the back of his shirt. The muscles of his back twitch as she touches his skin with her nails. “Mmm,” he murmurs. He pulls back and bright eyes stare into Rory’s.