THE AMOUNT OF TIMES HE looked out of his apartment window was ridiculous. He often pulled up a chair and waited to hear her voice so he could run out and introduce himself and make things right; however, he only ever heard silence. Sometimes, he wanted to go across the hall and knock on her cousin's door just to ask for her number but he chickened out, afraid things would not work out the way he had planned. One wrong move and she could possibly be out of his life forever.

And did he want that?

No.

Nope.

No freaking way.

He waited for nearly eleven months and he was more than willing to wait more if he had to. She was everything and he was not going to lose her, not again. He was not going to allow it. He did what he was supposed to do. If he did right by the world, was he supposed to suffer? It was already hard for him to contain all of these memories of what he had gone through and he had absolutely no one to share them with. If he told someone, they would believe he was crazy and send him straight to an asylum.

This day was different, though.

The one day he decided not to let his window become his television, she showed.

He had just gotten out of the shower, his hair damp from the steam of the hot water. A robe covered his body and his bare feet moved constantly against his tiled kitchen floor as he looked for something to snack on. There were barely any groceries in the house and looking in the same spot over and over again as if a bag of chips would suddenly appear was pointless. He had no money.

But he never once complained.

Why?

Love was so much stronger than money.

Slamming the cabinet door shut, he turned around and started making his way back to his room when he heard it...her voice. It was faint but he had heard her voice so many times before that he knew it was her. Nearly tripping over his own two feet, he raced towards the door and looked through the peephole just to make sure he was not forcing himself to hear things.

"...next time, okay? You know we all miss you."

A male voice, her cousin, responded, "Yeah, you've already told me. Just give me some time to get myself together."

It was silent for a few minutes.

"I'll see you soon."

At the sound of the door closing, Harry opened his, determined to not let her get away this time. She was already halfway to her car when he stepped out and the door slammed shut behind him, causing her to flinch at the sound and look over her shoulder to see what was going on. She had stopped walking and when she noticed Harry staring, she fully turned around and raised her eyebrows.

"Are you okay?"

Of course, he was standing outside without any shoes on in a bathrobe with the biggest smile on his face. She probably thought he was mentally ill or something of the short. Her head tilted to the side a bit and she looked as if she was ready to run if he tried anything. He had finally gotten her attention but he had no idea what to say to her. The words he had prepared to say over the past eleven months suddenly left his mind and he was speechless.

"Oh, that's right," she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the guy who elbowed me!"

Harry's eyes widened and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, um, sorry about that."

"Uh huh," she nodded her head. "Are you out here to get a tan?"

"W-What?"

"You're wearing a robe," she gestured to what he was wearing. "I know there's a small pool in the neighborhood somewhere. You going there to get that summer glowing skin, right?" Harry blinked nervously at her and she smiled. "I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I?" When he opened his mouth to speak, she continued. "I tend to do that. Sorry."

She started walking towards him and her smile never once disappeared. Keeping an appropriate distance between them, she looked him up and down and tilted her head back a bit to meet his gaze.

"I'm totally fine, by the way. Your elbow wasn't sharp enough to cause any damage."

Harry cleared his throat and outstretched his hand in her direction, "My name's...Lucas." Although he knew himself as Harry, everyone here knew him as Lucas and he had no choice but to keep it that way.

"Lucas," she breathed, gazing at him with a curious look, darting her tongue out to wet her dry lips as her facial expression changed from curious to confused. She ignored his hand and tucked a lock of hair behind her left ear. "Lucas, you said?"

"Yeah—"

She immediately cut him off, "That's not your name."

He nearly choked, "E-Excuse me?"

With a bright smile on her face, she grabbed his hand in hers and shook it quickly, "It's nice to meet you, Harry. The name's Sydney."

His smile dimmed, not understanding what was currently happening in front of him. How did she already know his name? And why did she say her name was Sydney when that was not it at all? From the look on his face, she knew he was confused and would need her to explain everything to him. So, she pulled him closer and pressed her lips close to his ear.

"You're not the only one who can travel back in time."

• • •

TWENTY YEARS LATER

For a moment, he blinked and brought his shaky legs closer to himself, safely tucked under his father's once favorite blanket, fisting on the extra soft wool material and nibbling on his fingernails with a shaky hum. Dark brown curls hung down his pale face, icy grey eyes without a single emotion and plump baby pink lips. The sofa was warm enough but his bowl of popcorn was finished but he was too comfortable to ask for more.

Another round of laughing girls echoed down the hall from the kitchen and he cracked a small smile to himself and wished he could join in on their conversation. Footsteps sounded closer to him and he immediately tightened his fragile pink fists around the blanket, blinking in defense and hoping no one was going to disturb him.

"Good morning, Sebastian."

The sweet tender voice of his mother eased him almost immediately but he refused to move, snuggling his cheek against his comforting pillow. She did not bother touching him and just stood in front of him, smiling and admiring her precious sixteen year old boy. He was tall, just like his father, and extremely special at heart.

Even before he was diagnosed with autism, she knew her son was very special.

Sometimes he had a striking resemblance with his father but most of time he looked more like his mother and everyone saw that because of their undying bond. He barely spoke, a few words groaned or slurred out. His best friend was his older sister, Amira, and he loved hanging around his father, especially when it was football season. Something about watching his father yell and scream at the television screen amused him.

His mother took a small step forward and ran her fingers through her short hair, Sebastian watching every move and smiling as the diamond on her ring glistened. He never understood what it meant but he knew it meant something special to her. His father wore a ring on a certain finger, too, and he just thought it was something adults did. Was he going to get a ring when he got older?

"Ami made breakfast," his mother said, pulling him away from his thoughts.

He flinched a little at the sound of her voice and he looked downward at the blanket, wondering if he was actually hungry. His stomach had not growled and he did not feel hungry. So, instead, he held his arms out for his mother to cuddle with him for a little while. Her smile widened and she made herself comfortable on the sofa next to him, allowing him to lay his head down on her lap as she stroked his curls.

His eyes studied the plaid pattern on her pajama pants and wondered how someone could come up with such designs and not get a headache from staring at it for too long. These pajama pants were his mother's favorite and he kept his opinion about them to himself, pretending he liked them when they in fact messed with his brain. He closed his eyes as she stroked his back, leaning downward and kissing the side of his head right at the temple.

"Mommy loves you so very much."

• • •

After the second egg landed on the floor, Harry knew his oldest teenager was incapable of baking a cake. She staggered back before the egg could crack all over her bare feet and she looked at him with wide eyes, as if it was his fault she had dropped the ingredient. He placed his elbows down on the breakfast bar and placed his chin in the palm of his hands, raising his eyebrows at her and wondering what she was going to do next.

"Why can't you just run to the store and buy him a birthday cake like everyone else?" Amira wondered as she looked for something...anything to clean up her mess. "I mean, he's not a picky eater but I don't want him getting food poisoning because of me. Mom will never let me hear the end of it. It'll be the end of the world because I poisoned the golden child."

The corners of her father's lips twitched upward as he attempted to hide his smile, "Weren't you the one who volunteered to bake a cake for your brother for his birthday? Weren't you the one who said we didn't need someone from the bakery baking his cake when we have you? Weren't you the one—"

"Ah!" she immediately cut him off. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Nova, the youngest of the three, looked up from her coloring book and frowned at her older sister, twirling her crayon between her fingers and debating on if she should fix herself a glass of milk or not. She tapped her chin with the purple coloring utensil and shook her head, deciding to wait for Amira to finish trashing the kitchen before she intervened.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Harry said, pointing in the direction of where the mop was being kept.

Amira stuck her tongue out at him and he stood up straight, towering over her before wrapping his arm around her neck and ruffling her hair, laughing as she squealed and yelled at him to stop. Nova, once again, looked up from her eight-year-old masterpiece and scrunched her face at the sight of her father and sister play fighting.

She hated people being that close to her and never understood why anyone enjoyed that. Of course, she received multiple hugs and kisses from her parents because she was the youngest...the baby of the family, but she preferred to be left alone and coloring outside of the lines. Every now and then, her father would buy her a new book to color in and she was forever grateful. From where she was sitting, she could hear her mother singing softly to her older brother. She knew he was different but she thought he was cool. He liked it when they sat on the sofa together and watched cartoons.

"N-Nova," he would often say her name when she laughed too loud. "Sssshhhh."

She would often respond with, "Rude," or "You're not Mom or Dad," or "Mommy didn't clean my ears, yet, I can't understand what you're saying."

All three of Harry's children were different and he loved them for that. They never tried to be like one another and they all had their own interests which made them unique. However, he often wondered if he had done the right thing by changing the course of time. Of course, he knew he did because the air was breathable and no one was dying from inhaling toxic fumes. But he often wanted to know if Sebastian being autistic and Nova wanting to keep her distance from everyone was a consequence of his actions.

After everything was put on the right path, he made it his mission to reunite himself with his wife from another lifetime. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again and spend the rest of his life with her. He had no idea they would have three beautiful children along the way but he never complained. They were perfect. Even when Amira went through her 'Bad Boy' phase and came home with a tattoo, Harry still loved her.

"I made you perfectly," Sydney scolded when she found the tattoo on the back of her daughter's neck. "You just ruined my art."

Amira's argument was that her father had multiple tattoos and her mother never scolded him about them. She had a point but her mother still punished her by grounding her and taking away her cell phone.

"Dad," Amira snapped her fingers in front of his emerald eyes, bringing him back to reality. "I think it's time you go to the store and get Sebastian a cake."

He smirked, "Giving up so soon?"

"I don't accept this challenge."

"It's baking. How hard could it be?"

She stepped back and smiled, "You could always bake the cake for him."

Harry paused for a moment as if he was actually thinking about it and his response was grabbing his car keys from the counter and making sure his bun was secured on top of his head. When he walked into the living room to find his wife and son cuddled together on the sofa, he stopped to admire this moment. He knew Sebastian's favorite parent was Sydney because of the cuddles.

She was the best at cuddling.

Sydney looked up at her husband and grinned as she continued to run her fingers through Sebastian's hair, massaging his roots. His eyes were closed and she was not surprised if he had fallen asleep on her lap.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

He jiggled his keys, "To the store. Amira's plan backfired and the kitchen is destroyed."

"I could've told you that." Sydney said, moving one hand back to rubbing her son's side. "Didn't I tell you to buy a C-A-K-E anyway?"

"Oh, would you look at that? I've got to get going if I want to be the first one at the bakery when it opens."

Sydney rolled her eyes and smiled, "Don't take too long. You know how distracted you get in the grocery store." Sebastian readjusted his head on her lap and his eyes fluttered open, focusing on his father's tall figure.

"I'm not going to get distracted. I'm just going to get the C-A-K-E."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, "Cake?"

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, forgetting the fact that he and his wife could no longer spell words around their son because he was catching on. Sydney wanted the cake to be a surprise but that obviously was never going to happen now.

"Yeah, birthday boy," Sydney said, running her fingers along the soft skin of his cheek. "You're going to have cake later on. Nana is coming over. Do you want to see Nana?"

Sebastian nodded his head, loving the fact that he would get to see his grandmother. She always gave the best hugs and he loved it when she read to him. The sound of her voice was soothing, like his mother's, and he would listen to it all day if he could. Her voice was a lullaby and calling her every night before he went to bed really helped him sleep at night.

Sydney looked up and slightly frowned, "Harry, we're getting old."

He laughed at how serious she looked, "Nah, they're just growing up too fast like this one here." He leaned forward and lightly poked Sebastian, causing him to frown and push his father's hand away.

"Way too fast," Sydney agreed. "But you're an amazing husband and father. We all appreciate you more than you think, you know."

"Is that your way of telling me we need more ice cream?" he asked and he already knew the answer by the bright smile on her face.

"I want to be with you forever and ever," she giggled. "I never thought I would have a family and now I have the best husband and three beautiful children."

"I love you," Harry reminded her, stroking her chin gently with his thumb.

"I know, and I love you," her eyes nearly squinted shut as her smile widened. "And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming back for me all those years ago."

"If I lose you, I lose it all," he whispered. "And I'm just not ready to give it all up yet. So, you better plan on sticking around, Doll, because I will stay by your side until my dying breath. Even then, my spirit will always be with you." He tapped her chest gently. "Right in there."

Sebastian watched his parents and smiled to himself. He often overheard them talking about their past, and how it was still hard for them to believe they finally found the happiness they deserved. He was silent as his parents talked about how much they loved one another and there always a part of him that thought they were different, not of this world. He once heard his father talking about time travel and his mother told him to leave the past in the past.

But that was just crazy talk.

Time traveling was just science fiction, was it not?

However, that never stopped Sebastian from believing his parents were in fact from another time...another place.

And that made them even more exceptional.