Story: The Happy Birthday Song

Type: Canon (sort-of?)

Pairing(s): Junie Bennett/Dylan Mercer

Word Count: 10k

Summary: In which Junie wakes up in her own startling future.

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Falling through pages of Martens on angels
Feeling my heart pull west
I saw the future dressed as a stranger
Love in a space-dye vest

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JUNIE BENNETT WOKE to the sensation of being drowned in sunlight and the smell of clean linen and the summer rain. She groaned and turned away from the too bright sun. She would have fallen straight back to sleep if it hadn't been for the blaring sound of pop music playing one or two rooms away. Junie groaned once more, she closed her eyes and tried to shut out the noise. It was probably her mother, Audrey liked to play the most irritating music at an ungodly hours in the morning. It was the reason half the street kept complaining and it was the reason the police had threatened to fine them close to five hundred dollars for 'communal disruption and noise pollution'.

"Oh for God's sake," she mumbled into the pillow. "Mum."

She turned onto her back, her chocolate brown eyes slowly, reluctantly fluttering open. She blinked rapidly as she tried to adjust to the brightness of the room. Once she had, she found herself staring up at the white ceiling and the glass chandelier that hung from it. The light from the windows hit the glass droplets of the chandelier the same way the sunshine hit the ocean on a summer's afternoon. It was then, as she gazed dazedly up at the swirling shapes caused by the morning light that she realised she didn't have a chandelier in her room. In fact, she didn't have that anywhere in her house.

Junie pushed herself up into a seating position and her eyes widening as she scanned the bedroom that quickly became unfamiliar. There were several things that enlightened Junie to the fact she was not at home.

Number one, the king sized bed she lay on was big enough to fit three or four people and still have some space for stretching. Her own bed was a narrow single that barely fit her let alone another person, she always ended up with her limbs dangling off the side or tumbling off in the middle of the night. Also, these duvets and pillows were made of linen, what looked to be, very expensive linen.

Number two, the chandelier, that was a given. Nobody this side of Fortitude Valley (or Brisbane for that matter) had a glass chandelier dangling in the centre of the room. Number three, the room was like something out of those lifestyle magazines her mother always bought. It was big and spacious and luxurious. There were cream walls and great double windows that were draped by floor length curtains. Junie leaned forward, curious to see what was on the other side. She caught sight of a lush green lawn, a white canopy and perfectly trimmed hedges.

Junie pulled back the covers and slid off the bed, her feet landing on the furry rug. She paused and frowned. She felt odd like she was -

She glanced down herself and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

"What the f-" she gasped.

Naked. She stared down at her naked body, her eyes wide and disbelieving. Why the hell was she naked? Junie let out a high pitched squeak. Her head snapped back and forth as she tried to find something, anything to wear.

On the cushioned bench that sat at the end of the bed, Junie spotted a white dressing gown sprawled across. Junie ran over to it and yanked it on as fast as she could, just to be safe she fastened the belt tightly around her.

She swept a hand down her face and tried to take a couple of deep breaths. A trail of strewn clothes that lead from the door to the bed. A pair of black trousers. A deep red dress. A black tie. A pair of white heels. A white shirt. The most horrifying aspect was the underwear, a laced bra and black Calvin Klein boxers could be spotted between the sheets, and a black belt peaked out from under the bed.

"Oh my God?" she hissed, "what the hell?"

Junie shut her eyes as she tried to remember what had happened last night. Actually, she could easily guess what happened but saying it out loud would probably make her scream. But this didn't make sense. Yesterday had been her birthday. Her fifteenth to be exact, and as always she'd spent her birthday with Dylan. This time they'd gone to Pandanus Beach since there was some kind of party and they'd both wanted to check it out. The last thing she remembered was walking home in the late May night after trying and failing to confess her feelings to Dylan. God had that been a spectacular failure. Not only had Dylan been flirting with Helen Torres but she'd chickened out seconds after she'd plucked up the courage to confess. Three words. Why couldn't she say three measly words to him?

Junie scratched her head. Oh God. Had she been kidnapped? Kidnapped and drugged on her way home? That wouldn't surprise her. Fortitude Valley wasn't exactly the safest place in Brisbane but Dylan had walked her home. When they reached her door, he'd given her that crooked smile she loved a little too much and wished her happy birthday. Junie lifted her hand, she let her fingers graze the spot Dylan had placed soft kiss on her cheek. There was the ghostly tingle and the butterflies still swirled as vibrant as ever from the memory.

Junie spun round and started walking towards a door she hoped was the way out but when her feet met the cold patterned tiles she frowned. She glanced around. It was an ensuite bathroom about the size of her bedroom back home. Junie turned, ready to leave and search for the closet instead so she could put on some clothes when she saw a flash of red hair in the mirror. She froze and walked backwards until she was in full view of the oval mirror that hung above the sink. Instead of finding a fifteen-year-old girl with plump cheeks and a mane of red hair she could never tame, Junie found a grown woman with soft cheekbones and a sharp red bob staring back at her in the mirror. Slowly, Junie lifted her hand and poked her cheek. She had aged, not considerably but enough that Junie could see the trace of frown lines on her forehead and between her eyes. She must have been in her late thirties, maybe early forties.

"I'm so....old?" she whispered as she continued to prod her face the same way she poked the frogs in biology. She ran her hand through her cropped hair, it was shorter at the back whilst the front just fell past her chin. It was a layered, choppy hairstyle that made her look like one of those high powered business women.

Junie blinked, unsure of what to make of the woman, of herself, in the mirror. Junie froze the umpteenth time she went to poke her face. It was only then that she noticed the gold ring on her fourth finger. It wasn't hers, well hers back home because she didn't own any rings. What was the point when her mother would just spot it and ask to borrow it? Junie never got back anything she borrowed to her mother so she'd learnt to hide it well or just not to have it.

"Oh my God," she gasped as her eyes zeroed in on the ring. That was definitely a ring. A wedding ring. "Oh my God, am I....am I married?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of the bedroom door creaking open and the footsteps of someone walking in. Junie's heart drummed hard in her chest. She glanced back at the mirror, her mouth was pressed in a fine line and she had a look of a deer caught in the headlights. Junie took a deep breath. She folded her arms over her stomach and braced herself for God knows what as she turned to leave. Junie didn't exactly know what she was expecting when she stepped back into the bedroom (a creepy moustached man maybe?) but it certainly wasn't a small dark-haired boy. He'd sat himself down on the cushioned bench, his gazed locked on the white tablet in his hands. He had a messy head of dark brown hair that he kept brushing out of his eyes every few seconds. He looked up and Junie was met with a large pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Look," the boy spoke, Junie was a little startled to find he didn't sound like Dylan. What should have been a smooth New Zealand accent was instead a crisp English one that cut through Junie's hazy confusion. "I know this is a shot in the dark but I really want it and...and you have no idea how happy it'll make me."

"Want...want what?" said Junie.

The boy lifted the tablet and turned it to face her. The flat screen displayed a picture of a complicated piece of machinery someone his age shouldn't even be aware of.

"Is that a PL spectrometer?" she asked. She'd wanted one of these for over a year now but they were expensive and hard to purchase if you weren't some sort of qualified scientist. Junie had to settle with the spectrometer she'd made from a CD and a cereal box a few months ago (or was it a few decades ago now?).

She glanced back at him. His eyes were bright with excitement, it was the same look Junie had whenever she bought a new telescope or found a new piece of equipment.

"You know this is used in Astrophysics right?" she said, assuming that the young boy had stumbled onto the spectrometer by accident. Maybe he'd thought it was some kind of game console. "It's for "

"I know what it's for, it's basic spectroscopy," his eyes narrowed, looking a little offended that Junie would think he was so clueless. He pointed to the screen, "it's an old model, like, ten years old but I like how this one allows an Nd:YAG laser with wavelength choices of 266, 355, 532 and 1064 mm. Plus, if there's temperature dependent measurements, you can use cryostat to reach a temperature as low as 6K." He paused and frowned a little, "of course, considering the sample temperature's between 6 to 300K but I think I can tweak that."

Junie blinked. Once. Twice. This kind of equipment was complex and usually reserved for universities or research facilities. Junie had only just got the hang of mass spectroscopy and yet this boy, who could be only ten or eleven years old, already knew how to operate and alter PL spectrometers.

Junie fought the urge to call him a witch.

"So...?" the boy said, looking up at her with these big brown eyes and a hopeful smile. "So, can I have it? Please? I'll...I'll clean my room for a whole month!"

"Uh...."

"If I can't get the PL spectrometer then I'll settle for an atomic force microscope," he said, "but please can I have the spectrometer?"

"I don't understand," Junie said, "why are you asking me?"

It was the boy's turn to look confused. "Because...because you're the only one who gets this stuff."

Junie didn't know how to respond to that so she just continued to blink at him for several seconds. When her awkward blinking reached the six second mark, the boy's eyebrows furrowed. Her inability to answer seemed to be pushing him into a state of nervous confusion.

"So?" he stared up at her, "Can I have it?"

Junie's eyes flitted to the tablet, and then back to the boy. She cleared her throat, "Uh...I'll think about it?"

His pursed mouth loosened and widened into a beaming smile. Junie had a sudden flash of Dylan when they were kids. Eleven years old, his hair fluttering in the wind, blue eyes vivid in the summer sun and a grin bright enough to light up a city. A deep pang of longing, the same way the moon longed for the sun, unfurled in her chest. It was a longing for times gone by and times to come she couldn't quite place. A sort of deep desire to belong that lay buried in this boy's smile. In the faint constellation of freckles that smattered his cheeks. In the deep chocolate shade of his eyes.

The boy chuckled, giddiness creeping into his movements as he got up from the bench and took the tablet from her. He grinned, "Great, thanks! Right, I'm gonna get some breakfast."

Just as he neared the door, Junie spoke up. "Wait."

He glanced back at her, "Yeah?"

"Do you happen to know..." she paused, wondering if she already sounded weird, "um, do you happen to know Dylan? Dylan Mercer?"

The boy's eyebrows drew together before he chuckled once more. "You make the weirdest jokes, Mum."

"No but - wait, what...Mum?" she said but the boy had already left the room. Junie gasped and started biting on her nails. A habit her mother had been nagging her to stop since she was eight.

"Mum?" she whispered to herself, not quite believing what she'd heard. "Oh my God...."

If she wasn't disturbed before, she definitely was now. Junie ran her hand through her cropped hair and let out a long sigh. She expected her fingers to tangle in the hair but they sled through smoothly. God, her hair felt like silk. What conditioner did she- no - did this woman use? Junie stopped pondering the miracle state of her hair and looked around the room once more, hoping for a clue as to what was going on.

There were a few framed pictures on the large dresser opposite the windows. She picked up one of the frames, her eyes narrowing as she peered at the picture. She looked younger, by five or seven years, in the photograph.

She was on a windy beach, grinning so wide and luminous as a man placed a kiss on her cheek. They were both leaning to the right as the wind made their hair flutter. His hands grasped her hips so he could keep her steady as she laughed. His eyelids had fluttered shut and there was a hint of a smile on his lips. It captured a moment of spotless joy.

Behind them, they were four figures playing in the sand. She couldn't make them out but they looked like children. Junie's eyes flicked back to the man, curious as to who he was. This must have been who she was married to. She couldn't really see his face but something about the set of his jaw and the dark shade of his hair told her she knew this man.

Her eyes narrowed once more as she stared at the picture. "Dylan?"

"Yeah?"

Junie jumped at the sound of the deep voice. She spun round, her heart in her throat as she met familiar ocean blue eyes and a sunshine bright smile she knew all too well. Junie swallowed. Dylan was taller, much taller than she had last seen, he must have been over six foot now. And in the same way wine matured better as the years slipped by, Dylan had grown into a handsome man. The kind of handsome you saw in Hollywood magazines and red carpets, the kind of handsome the Greeks had immortalised into sculptures of their gods. Broad shouldered and athletic in his build, Dylan was a far cry from that fifteen-year-old boy who walked with an awkward spring in his step as if he was still getting used to his lanky frame. He had lost all softness to face, in its places were high cheekbones and a strong jawline Junie had only seen in those high end fashion campaigns.

"What's got Lennon looking so chipper?" he asked. "He just ran past me in the hallway, he said you were going to get him a...a...PL spectro-something? You seriously going to do it? You know his last experiment set half the garage on fire, some of it even got in your hair."

Junie frowned and absently touched her hair, wondering if that was why she'd had to cut it.

"A fire?" she said, "what was he trying to do?"

His eyes skipped over to her, confusion drawing his eyebrows together, "You don't remember? You went ballistic when you found it, I mean it was the reason you had to cut your hair."

"Uh, well, I just woke up, so my memory's a little...hazy," she said with a small smile.

"He was trying to build a fusion reactor," he said, walking over to the dresser and yanking one of the draws open, he started rummaging through it, "it was for some national science project."

Junie's eyes widened, "A what? A fusion reactor?"

"Yep....by the way, have you seen my phone?" he asked, his blue eyes flicking across the room. He seemed perfectly okay with the fact the little boy, Lennon, had tried to build a fusion reactor in a garage. Maybe these kinds of things were a regular occurrence here.

"Uh..." Junie couldn't help but stare at him as he tucked his white shirt into his trousers. "Uh...I don't...think-"

"Oh, here it is!" he chimed and held up a glass device that looked too thin to be a phone. He glanced at her, the pleased smile gracing his features faltering for a moment. His eyebrows drew together in the same way Lennon had earlier. "Junie, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Junie blinked and then forced a laugh she hoped sounded light but it came out sounding like a strangled cry. "I'm fine, I'm great actually." She paused, her breathing shallowed as Dylan left the window he'd found the keys and walked over to her. She had to tilt her chin up just a fraction to meet his eyes, an action she found a little jarring considering she was used to being an inch or two taller than Dylan since they were kids.

"This thing's being annoying," he said with an almost whiny tone to his voice and gestured to the loose tie around his neck. "Sweetheart, I need your help."

A warm flush of heat painted Junie's cheeks a rosy red at the sound of being called sweetheart by Dylan. She nodded. Dylan stepped closer and Junie could smell his cologne, a warm and earthy scent accented by fresh mint. It made her blush deepen and she hoped Dylan wouldn't -

"Junie, you're blushing," he chuckled as she fumbled with his tie. He brushed his thumb gently across her left cheek and even though she wasn't looking at him (she couldn't without combusting in flames, already being this close to Dylan was going to give her heart palpitations), she could sense the grin spread across his handsome features.

"Look at you, blushing like you're sixteen," he said, barely able to hide the amusement in his voice.

Fifteen actually, she wanted to say.

Junie frowned.

"Who's playing that damn music so early in the morning?" she said hastily trying to change topic.

"Astrid," Dylan said.

Junie refrained from asking exactly who Astrid was but she could take a wild guess. A guess she would rather not vocalise. She kept her focus on the tie, Dylan had messed up the loops and it turned into some lumpy pile.

"I told her to turn it down a few days ago but she got into this long winded answer about how it helps her concentrate for her exams and then brought up a scenario about her living under a bridge if she failed," he said.

Junie undid Dylan's fumbling mess with the tie and quickly fastened the tie until it was properly secure. She was about to step back - because being this close to Dylan, especially an older, handsome Dylan, was making it exceptionally hard to think, even breathe - and give him one of her awkward smiles when he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It was short but it was sweet like rose cakes and it had her heart thrashing in her chest. He pulled away with a smile just as sweet.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said.

He turned on his heel and walked over to a pair of double mahogany doors. He snapped his fingers and the doors slid apart, revealing an extensive circular closet. Junie's eyebrows rose as he disappeared inside.

Left alone in the bedroom alone, wide-eyed and a little slack jawed from the kiss. Her fingers grazed her tingling lips, and her other hand settled on her chest. She could feel her heart drumming hard. This definitely had to be a dream. It had to be. There was no way a more than likely forty-year-old Dylan Mercer had kissed her.

Admittedly it was a rather short lived kiss, barely even three seconds but it was still a kiss nonetheless and the memory of his mouth on hers, soft and so warm, had to be a sign she was dreaming. But, as she stood frozen in a bedroom she didn't recognise and listened to an older Dylan humming in the closet, Junie couldn't shake the feeling that this - whatever this happened to be - was real.

Junie pinched herself to check if she was asleep but the sharp pain accompanied by a wince told her that no, she wasn't dreaming. But could you really trust your senses? Was reality dependent on sensory experience or was there -

"Aren't you getting ready for work?" Dylan shouted from the closet, yanking out of her philosophical thoughts.

"Work?" she frowned.

Dylan paused in the doorway of the closet. He donned a deep blue blazer that made his eyes brighter. He leaned his shoulder against the frame and nodded, "Yeah, haven't you got a lecture at ten o'clock?"

"Yeah, I think so..."

It was Dylan's turn to frown, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she gave him a smile, it felt too much like cardboard to be convincing, "just feeling a bit groggy y'know, I haven't fully woken up yet."

Nodding, he pushed himself off the frame. There was a hint of a grimace on his lips as he tugged on his cuffs, "Okay, well, I better get going, I have a meeting with Kim Kardashian West in an hour, I think she wants me to sign her daughter onto the label." He brushed his hair back and gave Junie a sharp, gleaming grin, "Crazy thing is, I might actually do it. I've seen North perform a few times...and I gotta admit, she has some talent."

Despite the fact she had no idea what let alone who he was talking about, Junie couldn't help but return his grin. "That's great," she said, "You should definitely do that."

If it was possible Dylan's grin brightened. He stepped forward and for a heart stopping moment Junie thought he would kiss her again but he walked past her and picked up his phone from the dresser.

"So, the kids are all dressed for school and they're in the kitchen having some breakfast," he said, turning and heading for the door, "Okay, sweetheart, I'll be downstairs as well, I'll leave you to get dressed."

And Junie was once again left in the bedroom. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. She was still reeling from everything that had just happened but it had been Dylan's surprise kiss that had almost sent her over the edge.

Before Junie headed into the closet, she quickly washed her face in the bathroom.

"Right, clothes," she clasped her hands together and walked into the closet.

Her eyebrows inched upwards as she glanced around. It was neat and orderly, one side had Dylan's clothes whilst the opposite side had Junie's. Junie walked to her side of the closet. There were so many nice things and quite a few of them looked expensive. After fifteen minutes of sifting through the racks of dresses and the shelves stacked with trousers and tops, Junie settled on an open black shirt and a nice pair of tan trousers that cut off just above her ankles. She didn't like the look of the heels, so she slipped into some black brogues. Junie checked her reflection in the narrow mirror that hung on one of the wardrobes.

She stared and stared, not properly recognising the person who stood before her. Junie saw a sophisticated woman who had finally solved the mystery of life. It was in the curve of her mouth, in the set of her shoulders, in the faint lines around her eyes. Something told her, this woman, this future version of herself had seen the world raw and dark and she had walked through it with fire in her eyes and a sword in hand. She had lit the way for any poor soul who had the misfortune to fall into the bleak cracks of life.

She smiled at the woman in the mirror and an ember sparked bright into her chest in that moment and she felt hope for herself. Maybe self-love was not the myth she had grown up believing it to be, maybe all you needed was that spark to finally see the light in yourself and drive away the dark.

Junie left the closet, she walked out of the bedroom and into the corridor. The stairs were like coiling snakes, Junie kept her eyes on the framed pictures of varying sizes, neatly ordered on the wall and she kept one hand on the wooden bannister as she headed down the stairs. There were pictures of Junie and Dylan, smiling, laughing, hugging, of a small red haired girl, Junie momentarily mistook for herself, and a smaller dark-haired girl holding hands near a pond, of two dark-haired boys sitting on a grassy hill, of Junie and Dylan with all four children by a lake. As Junie descended the stairs, she found it harder and harder to breathe with each picture she saw. She stumbled when she'd realised she reached the bottom.

Junie ripped her eyes away from the photographs and the smiling faces beaming down at her, and headed down the hall. A lot chatter came from the open door to the right. Junie found Dylan in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. She was greeted with a scene of four children sitting around a curved kitchen island that faced the large windows.

Lennon, the boy who had barged into the bedroom asking for a spectrometer (and almost gave her a heart attack), was busy reading a rather thick book on stellar evolution. Bright little post-it-notes stuck from between the pages. Junie wondered what notes a ten-year-old would have to make on nucleosynthesis. Then again, Junie supposed, Lennon was not a normal ten-year-old. She recognised three other children from the photos she'd seen hanging on the wall of the staircase. They had aged by a few years but it was them.

The eldest was a tall red-haired girl, she sat next to Lennon and unlike him, she didn't busy herself with chunky books but typing something on a thin, glass-like device strapped to her wrist. She was beautiful really, with sharp blue eyes and a light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her red hair was a shade lighter than Junie's but just as fiery and fell down to her elbows in deep waves.

"Astrid," Dylan glanced up from his coffee with a frown, "what have I told you about texting during breakfast? Finish your food and then text your heart out."

She rolled her eyes, and dropped her wrist. "I was just asking Vince about tomorrow's exam." Astrid pointed to Lennon, "and what about him? He's the one reading a book."

The small boy sitting between Astrid and another smaller girl snorted. The boy stopped eating his cereal to wipe the milk off his mouth. "Yeah, no books allowed."

"At least he's reading a book, Max," Dylan said, "when's the last time any of you kids even touched an actual book that wasn't digitalised?"

The smallest girl scrunched up her nose. She smeared butter on her toast and said, "Daddy, you sound like an old man."

Dylan placed his hand on his chest and gasped, "Old? I'm not old. Forty-two isn't old." Dylan glanced up and pouted when he spotted Junie standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Honey, tell Effie I'm not old."

Junie blinked, a little taken back to have the children's gaze on her. "Uh, you're not old?"

The little girl - Effie, Junie reminded herself - snickered. She brushed her dark hair back, "Mummy doesn't sound very convinced."

Mummy. Junie repeated that word to herself. A word loaded with a litany of meanings and long volumes of history. A word she couldn't bring herself to say out loud.

So, she had not one, not two or even three children with Dylan but four. Astrid, Max, Lennon and the youngest, possibly eight or so, Effie. It took all of her will not to fall into a panic attack right then and there. Then and there being the kitchen with Dylan and her children. Dylan, who was her husband and their four children.

Oh God. Junie swallowed. She gripped the door handle, hard enough for her knuckles to turn white as she tried to control her breathing. Oh God. Oh God -

Somewhere behind her, a bell chimed through the house and the noise sliced into her oncoming panic attack like a laser. In less than a second, Effie had dropped her toast onto the counter and jumped out of her seat.

"I'll get it!" she squealed, sprinting past Junie and into the wide corridor.

"Effie, don't-" Dylan sighed in the corner. He set the coffee down, a frown pushing over his mouth. "Persephone! What have I said about running in the house?"

A smile tugged at Astrid's glossy pink lips as she reached across the table and grabbed a slice of Effie's toast. She bit off a large chunk and let out a soft chuckle. "I don't know why you bother, she never listens."

"Forgive me for thinking my kids would actually listen to their father," Dylan said, "I mean, it's not that hard to remember - Astrid are you even listening?"

Astrid's attention had turned back to the glass device on her wrist. The bright shade of her blue eyes told Junie she must have received a message from the boy she'd been texting. She glanced over at Dylan, "Huh? Yeah, yeah...sure, Dad."

"What did I say then?"

Astrid blinked, she opened her mouth but she was saved from answering when Effie raced back into the kitchen. "Astrid, Vince is by the door and Uncle Fin is outside in the car," she said, climbing up onto her stool, "they're waiting for you."

Astrid left the toast between her lips as she picked up her small leather rucksack and shrugged it on her back. She bit into the toast and brushed the crumbs off her mouth.

"Okay, see you guys later," she said, "I'm going to Vince's afterschool so don't wait up."

Before anyone had the chance to reply or even wish her goodbye, Astrid had flashed them a quick smile and rushed off down the corridor faster than Effie had moments earlier. The loud slam of the front door shutting let them know Astrid had left.

Dylan shook his head, "You know you wouldn't think she was only fifteen with the way she acts." He smiled, "well, at least Vince is there to look after her."

Between Lennon (who was still engrossed in the book on stellar evolution) and Effie (who'd noticed she had a slice of toast missing and judging from her deep frown suspected it had been taken by Astrid), Max grinned wide enough to reveal silver braces. "That's because Vince lo-o-o-ves her."

Effie giggled, "Astrid and Vincent sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"Y'know," Lennon spoke up for the first time since Junie had come into the kitchen, "teasing Astrid when she isn't even here is pointless." He didn't bother to look up from his book. "And shouldn't you be doing your History project, Max? It's due tomorrow."

Max rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, Len-"

"I'm not worried."

"Right, well, I'm gonna do it tonight so-"

"So, it's time to go to school," Dylan suddenly announced, making Effie jump in her seat and the boys shoot him matching glares. "C'mon, get up, you guys need to get to school. What? You think I wake up at six in the morning every day for the fun of it?"

"Yes," Max answered rather plainly, his deep brown eyes narrowing with each second, "Life gets boring when you're an old man."

"Oh ha, ha, ha," Dylan smirked, "You're becoming quite the little comedian aren't you?"

He pushed himself off the counter. Max shrugged, throwing Dylan the same smirk and Junie's breath lodged in her throat at the sight. He looked so much like Dylan when they were kids - the braces, the messy dark hair, the slender frame - she could almost fool herself into thinking it was him. Both boys were double images of Dylan at every point in his life and the thought kept stealing the breath from her lungs.

Dylan ruffled Max's hair, sending it into further disarray. Max pouted as he quickly fought to brush his hair back with his hands and give his father a withered look but it was softened by the slight smile on his lips.

Dylan downed the last of his coffee and swept a thumb across his lower lip. A small move that had Junie entranced. The memory of the soft kiss he'd pressed to her lips surfaced and she found herself wishing for another. She swallowed and glanced away, a little worried that she'd be caught staring and a little afraid Dylan would pluck the thoughts out of her head and voice them to the room. He'd always been good at reading her emotions, even when she didn't know how she felt. It was both unnerving and comforting to have someone understand you on such a profound level.

Junie watched Dylan debate with Max on the importance of going to school and not staying in to watch cartoons all day. It was stupid really. He wasn't really her Dylan. Her Dylan was fifteen and all gangly limbs and a voice that had just broke into a deep brogue. Her Dylan still couldn't get up for school on time despite setting four different alarms. Her Dylan wasn't forty-two, tall, dark and handsome, and a father of four. Her Dylan wasn't married to some forty-one-year-old version of herself who was more than content to play happy families.

Not yet, the stray thought bumped into existence. Her Dylan wasn't this Dylan yet. This Dylan and this - this version of herself had taken months and years and quiet moments she hadn't felt to form.

"Mum, tell Dad that school is stupid," Max said, shattering Junie's reverie and bringing her back to this odd reality. Max and Dylan had almost identical pouts as they stared at her.

The bubble of laughter flitted from her lips and took her by surprise. She smiled, "Sorry, Max but you need to go to school."

Dylan grinned and Max huffed. He patted Max's shoulder, "C'mon get up, I'm not gonna tell you guys again. Get your bags and get your butts in the car. It's time for school."

Max grumbled something about dying of boredom in science class as the three of them hopped off their stools.

"And say goodbye to your mother on your way out," Dylan said, wearing a triumphant smile like he'd won yet another battle.

There was that slight smile on Max's face again as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said, "see you in a bit Mum."

Lennon trailed behind him, still clutching onto the chunky book. He briefly glanced up at Junie to wish her a quick farewell before glancing back at the book. "Goodbye, Mum."

Effie was the last and she didn't hold out like the other boys. She ran into Junie and wrapped her spindly little arms around her legs. Effie looked up, big ocean blue eyes so much like Dylan's made heart stopped for a moment, and grinned bright enough to power a lighthouse. Warmth, like that welcomed bar of sunshine in midwinter, unfolded in her stomach and spilled into every crevice in her body.

"Bye, Mummy!" Effie beamed.

Junie smiled softly as she brushed loose strands of Effie's dark hair from her face. "Bye, love."

"Go on, Eff," Dylan said behind her, "Get your bag. I'll meet you in the car."

Junie had the sudden urge to hold onto the little girl and never let go. Luckily, and before she could act on such feelings, Effie let go and rushed off into the corridor with her brothers. Junie watched her disappear around a corner before she turned back to face Dylan. Blue eyes, flecked with the finest hints of silver, met hers and for the umpteenth time that day, Junie had trouble drawing breath.

"What?" she said, hoping she sounded casual enough to be convincing.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting weird all morning," he said, walking up to her. "Normally, you're ordering everyone about, threatening to ground Max at least once and panicking that you're going to be late for work."

The weight of his gaze made it hard to concentrate, let alone form words. Junie swallowed, the lump in her throat felt heavier. She glanced away, her brown eyes skipping to the wide bay windows above the sink. Junie could clearly see into the back garden from here.

From the long stretch of green lawn and the wooden swing on the marble patio to the little pond hidden in the far corner and the table and chairs shielded by a white canopy. She had a sudden vision of long summer nights with Dylan on that wooden swing, of her head resting on his lap as she pointed to all the constellations in the heavens, of Dylan laughing and kissing her breathless because her love for him eclipsed any wonder she could have ever had for the stars, of the way -

"Junie."

And her gaze swung back to the man who held her future and her past and her heart all in the graceful curve of his lips. Her heart drummed heavy staccato beats as he slid two fingers under her chin to face him. Blue, blue eyes searched her face as if every answer to every question asked lay within her.

"What's wrong?" he said again, voice low and kind as he leaned into her.

Those blue, blue eyes sought her and for a short, petrifying second she thought he had seen right through her. That he knew she wasn't the Junie he knew, that she was some far flung girl in his past who could only dream of being the woman he loved so deeply.

"I don't know," she told him, because she didn't and what was the use in lying?

He stepped close enough to smell his cologne, citrus scent of spices, amber and musk, to wash over her. It calmed her racing pulse and she let her eyes flutter shut for a second or two before Dylan's deep voice made her look up.

"Is this about Zee?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She blinked, "Zee?"

"I know he'll always be your baby brother but he's old enough to take care of himself. You don't have to worry about him," he said, "Yeah, things have been difficult for him ever since Parker broke things off but that was three months ago and I think he's finally starting to move on."

Junie just about reigned in her shock as she stared at Dylan.

"In fact I talked to him yesterday and-"

"You...you talked to him?" she asked, surprised at how neutral she'd managed to keep her voice. "How is he?"

Why wasn't he here? Was he okay? Who was Parker? Why did they break up? How old was he now? So many questions she scrambled to get the answers to.

"He sounded really good," Dylan grinned, "and he got the job by the way."

"Job?"

"He accepted the offer to design the new modern art gallery in Manhattan," he said, "you should really call him, he's so excited to tell you more about it." He glanced at his wristwatch and a frown pursed his lips together. "Damn it, I have to go or I'm going to be late to the meeting."

"Oh," Junie tried to hide the disappointment from her voice and the apprehension at being left alone in such a big house. "Okay."

He slipped a hand behind her neck and tugged her forward for a kiss. Surprise gave way to electricity that fizzed and popped its way down her spine. His fingers slid into her hair and her eyes fell shut. That staccato beat returned with a vengeance as the welcome warmth of Dylan's lips washed over her. Sparks trailed behind the thumb Dylan ever so gently traced across her cheek. He pulled away too soon, leaving Junie with flushed cheeks and a slack mouth.

"I've gotta go take the kids to school and Finley said he'd pick up the kids along with Astrid and Vince, so don't worry. I'll be back in time for dinner, okay?" Dylan smiled, then paused and glanced up at the ceiling, "Hey, Aio is Junie's car fixed yet?"

Junie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, half-wondering who Dylan was speaking to and half-suspecting that he had gone mad. That was until a crisp and computerised female voice cut through Junie's suspicions of Dylan's insanity.

"No, Junie's car is still in the auto-shop," the voice said and Junie froze. It seemed to be coming out of every point in the room. "It will be ready for use in 2.4 days. I will notify you once this happens, Dylan."

Dylan looked back at her, "Oh, well, you're gonna have to call a taxi then."

Junie nodded, her tongue felt too heavy to form words. She was sure her eyebrows had flown to the top of her forehead.

Dylan said, "Okay, honey, I've gotta go."

He leaned in again, and pressed another kiss to her lips, this one too short and too sweet. "Love you," he said, his smile widening into one of those disarming grins. "Say hi to Xiao and Ren for me."

Before she had a chance to process what had transgressed in the last five minutes, Dylan turned and walked out of the kitchen. She was almost tempted to follow him, follow him everywhere, anywhere, but something kept her feet bonded to the ground. The resounding sound of the front door shutting told Junie she was alone in this strange yet familiar house. Well, not truly alone considering there was some kind of AI installed in the walls.

"Uh, hello?" She looked around, "Aio?"

"Yes, Junie?" The computer, Aio, replied in a tone that could almost be mistaken for pleasant.

Her eyes widened to a comical size. "Holy shit," she gasped and then broke into laughter, "you can talk!"

"Yes I can," It - she? - said. "Why is this so amusing?"

"Nothing, it's just -" she chuckled and shook her head. This was something from Star Trek. "Nothing. Wait..." she glanced up, "What's the date today?"

"Today's date is Wednesday, March 12th 2036."

"Oh my God," she murmured, "that's - that's twenty-eight years."

Twenty-eight years into the future.

"Where's my brother?" she asked, "Zee - uh, I mean - Isaiah. Where's Isaiah Bennett?"

Isaiah must have been at least twenty-eight now. She couldn't imagine him at ten let alone twenty-eight-years-old. He was a grown man. An architect who had just secured a job to design a gallery in New York. Isaiah, who was barely one back in 2008, was all grown up and living in the Big Apple. Apparently, recovering from a messy break up with someone named Parker.

"Isaiah Bennett is currently in a business meeting on Staten Island in New York City," Aio said, "He attempted to contact you exactly 13.23 hours ago but you were otherwise busy with Dylan."

Junie frowned, "Busy? Busy doing what?"

What could she have been doing that was so important that she couldn't talk to her brother?

"After you returned from your dinner with Dylan in town at ten-forty-nine p.m. you requested no one disturb you while you two were in your bedroom." Aio said. "You did not leave your bedroom until this morning so I had no opportunity to inform you."

Heat ignited over Junie's cheeks, more than sure they had turned the same colour as her hair. She was suddenly so thankful Aio was a computer and couldn't sense her embarrassment. Junie cleared throat as she glanced away.

"And...uh...Where am I?" she said. She'd gathered that she was no longer in Brisbane. All children had clean-cut English accents and not to mention it felt too cool to be Australia, especially this early in the year.

"You are in your home," Aio answered.

"No, I mean, geographically," she said, "Where am I?"

"You are currently in Amesbank."

"Amesbank?"

"Yes, Amesbank is a town of sixty-thousand people in the south of England," Aio said, "It is exactly 14.18 miles from your workplace."

"My workplace? Where is that?"

"At the University of -" Aio paused, "Junie, you are receiving a vid-call from Asher Renton in your office."

Junie refrained from mentioning she had no idea who this Asher Renton was.

"Right," she said, "Sorry, uh, where's my office again?"

"Your office is down the corridor and the third door on your left."

"Thanks," Junie nodded. She turned on her heels and headed down the sunlit corridor. She found the office with ease and pushing the white door open, she stepped into the room. The mahogany work desk was cluttered with open books and stacks of paper. Large windows looked out into the front garden, but it was partially marred by the rose bushes and vines that snaked along the pane.

Junie picked up one of the many books lined up on the shelves just above the computer. She cocked an eyebrow as her gaze landed on the front cover. Principles of Extragalactic Physics by Junie Mercer.

"Junie, do you wish to accept the vid-call from Mr Renton?" Aio asked, her computerised voice almost made Junie jolt in her seat. She suppressed a squeak and nodded. Upon realising, Aio probably couldn't see her, she cleared her throat once more and said, "Yes. Yes, I want to accept."

"Junie!" A voice said behind her.

Junie swivelled round in her seat to face her caller. The extensive glass screen on the wall displayed the image of a man sitting in an office similar to hers. Although his seemed infinitely more organised. The man looked to be in his early forties with dark hair and darker eyes. He looked like one of those professors that spent too much time sputtering about particles and linear equations. It was the bow tie and the tweed jacket. Dark brown, almost black, hair flopped as he carded a hand through it and gave Junie a smile she found oddly endearing.

"Oh hey," she said, it was easy to return his smile, "Hey, um, Asher."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Asher? Since when do you call me Asher, Juniper?"

"Um..." Junie's eyes flicked to the floor and back up to him a moment later. Dylan's reminder came back to her then. He wanted her to say hi to Xiao and Ren for him. Oh, Ren. Ren had to be short for Renton.

He started laughing as he leant his hip against his desk and folded his arms across his chest, grinning widely at her now.

"Are you still home?" Ren asked, his gaze flitting behind her, "Don't you have a lecture at ten or something?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just...just getting my things together."

Ren nodded, and if possible his grin seemed to widen, "Well hurry up because I have something amazing to tell you."

"What?"

"Not telling until you come."

Interested now, Junie leaned forward in her seat. "At least give me a clue."

"It's do with colonisation, the manned Mars mission last week," he said, "and Vesta 34-L."

"Mars?" Junie's heart leapt in her chest. "Vesta 34-L?"

They had sent humans to Mars last week?

"Just get over here," he said, grinning again and clasping his hands together, "It will blow your mind. I'm serious."

"Okay, okay," Junie said, "I'll be there soon."

"Meet me in my office after your lecture," Ren bit his lip and gave her a mock salute. "Bring popcorn, Mercer."

Ren cut the call and the screen flickered into darkness. Junie stared at the wall with wide eyes. Ren's last words ringing in her ears.

Mercer. She was a Mercer now and she had been for God knows how long. Junie sucked in a deep breath and reigned in any shreds of calm she had left after waking up in this - this world. This world that both did and didn't belong to her.

"Aio," she said.

"Yes, Junie?"

"Apparently I have a lecture at ten," she said, "Can you give me the details?"

"You have a lecture for Modern Galactic Dynamics. Today's topic is Numerical Orbit Integration to first year undergraduate students at ten o'clock," Aio replied, "Since your car is still in the auto-shop, I have taken the liberty of ordering you a taxi. It will arrive in 9.89 minutes."

"Numerical Orbit Integration," she repeated dumbly, "Jesus."

Junie had a pretty good grasp on galactic formation but she doubted she knew enough (or even anything) on orbit integration to teach a lecture to university students. She could either wing it by relying solely on any notes and textbooks she found in the office or she could call in sick. But it looked like Ren had some tantalising news on Mars and something called Vesta 34-L.

Junie glanced at the digital clock near the window. The taxi would be here in about ten minutes. That should give her enough time to snoop around this enticing future.

"Aio, where's the TV?" she asked, "I want to watch the news."

The screen she'd used to talk to Ren suddenly flickered back to life. Junie was met with a scoping view of dry and arid desert land that seemed to stretch for miles and miles. An dark-skinned woman stood before the camera, her black hair swirled in the wind as she held the microphone to her mouth.

"- not since the refugee crisis of 2015 has Europe experienced such a vast influx of refugees," she raised her voice over the trooping wind. She gestured behind her, where a long stream of people, men, women and children, walked on through the dunes and beating sun. "Each year, twelve million hectares of land are lost to the wind and sand. This means farmers cannot grow crops and feed their livestock in order to make a living."

The scene cut away to sickly land that could only sprout small and pale bushes. The woman continued to talk as the camera showed abandoned villages and dry, cracked ground. "Since 2020, more than fifty million people have been forced to leave their homes because of increased desertification. In the last two years around eighty-thousand people have moved north to other African countries and Europe in search of jobs and more prosperous lands."

Another shot of the infinite desert and clear skies before it cut back to the reporter. She gave a curt nod. "Adelaide Jensen reporting for BBC News from northern Senegal."

The reporter nodded and the camera cut to the studio where a blonde-haired woman sat behind a desk. The woman, brushed a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear and clasped her fingers together. "Thank you, Adelaide," she smiled and glanced at the camera, "Last week the astronauts of the first manned mission to Mars arrived on the plant after over six months of travel. At a news conference in Washington, yesterday morning, NASA officials met to discuss the success of the mission, asteroid mining and answer questions from the audience."

The scene changed again to show seven people sitting behind a long desk on a raised stage. Below sat an audience of journalists and academics. Out of the seven, there was only one woman and it took Junie a moment to realise that woman was in fact her. A peppered-haired man sat between Junie and Ren talked avidly about the three astronauts who had been sent to Mars, commending them on their bravery and initiative to take on such a daunting and life-changing mission. Soon a reporter raised a question on Vesta 34-L and Junie's eyes widened when the camera cut to a close up of her future self on stage. Junie read the words that had been appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Junie Mercer: Professor of Astrophysics at Cambridge University, UK.

"Whoa," Her eyebrows rose, "Cambridge? I'm a professor at...Cambridge?"

"Well, Vesta 34-L is an earth-like exoplanet about three hundred and fifty light years from our solar system," Junie's older-self began, an easy smile on her lips as she glanced down at the audience, "It's twenty percent smaller than Earth in size and orbits an M dwarf star in the Habitable Zone once every two hundred and thirty days. Since its discovery five years ago, we've learnt that Vesta 34-L is a rock planet with vast oceans and the closest match to our own planet in terms of habitability. It's the first exoplanet we've found with an intact ozone layer. It's warm and humid throughout its polar regions and although it's cooler it's still, potentially, life-friendly."

Junie watched the news conference in rapt silence, her jaw slack as her future-self continued to speak about the merits of Vesta 34-L. This Junie had a certain brand of confidence, of deep understanding in the set of her shoulders and the lilt of her voice. So, this was her future. This is the person the twenty-eight years behind her and the twenty-eight years before her would forge and it felt like she stood on the brink of nothing and everything at the same time. What would be and what could be were one and the same and she -

"Junie," Aio said, the automated voice almost pushed a squeal past her lips. "Your taxi has arrived."

"Right," Junie mumbled.

She couldn't take her eyes off the screen, where Ren - dressed in a navy NASA jumper and still the same bowtie - informed a woman in the audience that much of the early scientific and technological work was carried by NASA's Johnson Space Center. Later on, this task was soon shared by the New Global Space Association in efforts to advance the development of the mission.

In response to another question from a journalist, Junie's future self leaned forward on the table, "Actually the second phase required six SLS launches to land the astronauts on Mars' surface not four. So, a twenty-three ton lander had to be -"

"Junie, your taxi has been waiting for 57.6 seconds," said Aio, "you must leave now if you wish to arrive to the university in time for your first lecture of the day."

"Right, right," Junie shook her head and glanced away from the TV, she craned her head back so she could get a look into the garden. Just through the spaces in the vines draped on the window, she spotted a glimpse of the black taxi sitting in the driveway. Junie stood up from her seat and shooting one last glance at Ren and her future self on the TV, she ordered Aio to switch it off.

Junie guessed she had a bag for work which hoped had the necessary notes on the numerical orbit lecture. She searched around the room until her eyes landed on a large leather tote bag by the armchair in the far corner. Junie zipped it open and rummaged through, curious as to what her future-self kept in her handbag. Purse, lipstick, compact mirror, mints, a tablet, keys, an unfamiliar book by J.K Rowling and another book on the laws of thermodynamics. Her curiosity somewhat satisfied, Junie shrugged the bag onto her shoulder and left the office.

She paused in the hallway, just as her hand wrapped around the doorknob. Her gaze flicked up to the ceiling, "Uh, bye Aio."

"Goodbye, Junie," Aio replied and Junie was fascinated at how well the AI could simulate warmth in its voice, "Have a good day."

Junie smiled even though Aio couldn't see it. "Thanks."

And with that she opened the door and stepped into the bright morning light of a future she couldn't even begin to comprehend. Junie's eyes flicked up to the cloudy sky, her thoughts briefly settling on the three astronauts on Mars before she found the black taxi in driveway a few feet away. Just as Junie walked over to it, the world began to spin as if the earth's centre would not hold and the sunshine pounded into her skin, the brightness burnt into her eyes and -

Junie woke with a start, with her heart beating a violent song against her ribcage, with wide eyes and clipped breaths. Relief, like a stream of cool river water, coursed through her when she realised she was back in her bedroom. The dusty window and the small, unmade bed in the corner told her it was definitely her bedroom not the luxurious one her and Dylan shared in that future.

She had been trying to do her essay but she must have fallen asleep at some point. She had open textbooks before her on the desk. It was cluttered with hastily scribbled on papers and stacks of books. Junie wiped the drool from her mouth and groaned. She stretched her arms and legs, trying to push some feeling back into them as she leaned back in the wooden chair.

Her mobile phone peaked out from underneath her physics textbook and she pulled it out. Junie flipped it open and checked the date.

"Tuesday, May 20th 2008," She huffed out a thankful sigh, "God, what a weird dream."

Junie began to stretch her arms once more when she noticed a flash of light glinting off something on her hand. She lowered her hand, bringing it closer to her face and gasped. A gold ring on her fourth finger. The same wedding ring from her dream. Junie pulled it off and inspected it closely. The words Dylan and Forever had been etched inside the golden metal of the band.

Junie stood up from the chair. Her eyes widen and disbelieving. She'd just pulled open the curtains to get a better look at the ring when the sound of Isaiah's crying swept in. She slipped the ring back onto her finger. She turned and headed out of her room and straight down the hallway. Opposite the large inbuilt wardrobe in Audrey's bedroom sat Isaiah's cot. He was red faced, his little mouth open wide as he wept.

"Aww, Zee," Junie cooed. She leant down and picked him up, cradling the back of his head against her chest. She bobbed him up and down, "Shhh, it's okay."

Soon his cries melted into soft mewling sounds as she continued to sway him side to side. Her mother had gone to see one of her friends on the other side of Brisbane for the day so it was just Junie and Isaiah.

Junie pulled back to glance down at her brother. Large chocolate brown eyes met hers and a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. Isaiah could only blink up at her for a few seconds before he gave her a big toothless smile.

She chuckled and gently squeezed his left cheek. "Now who's going to be an architect when they're older?" she whispered, "Who's going to be living it up in the Big Apple when they're twenty-eight? Who?"

Isaiah giggled in response. She bobbed his little button nose and he giggled again.

"That's right," she grinned, "You are!"

"You've got some pretty big aspirations for his future there, Junebug."

Junie froze, her muscles too tense to move. She glanced up, her pulse skipping a beat. Dylan stood in the doorway with an amused smile and warm blue eyes. It was Dylan, her Dylan. Her Dylan with his floppy dark hair and who'd only just sprouted up into his tall, lean frame. He was still handsome in a very young, boyish way that made sparks crackle in her chest like nothing and no one else could. He walked over to her, his hands stuffed into his jean pockets as his smile grew into a bright grin.

"You okay?" he asked, coming to a stop before her.

The band of metal around her finger seemed to buzz with warmth in his proximity. Forever and Dylan, the words etched inside the ring seeped into her skin, into her bones and she drew a shaky breath. Isaiah squirmed in her arms and she held him closer. She shifted him onto her hip and leaning forward, she pulled Dylan into a hug. He let out a surprised grunt as she buried her face in his neck. He didn't smell of expensive cologne like the older Dylan, he smelt of soap and home and citrus like he always did. It sent waves of sunshine beating through her and she couldn't help but smile. The future she'd seen wasn't set in stone but it's a future she would run towards with hope in her heart and Dylan and Isaiah by her side.

When she pulled away, concern pulled Dylan's eyebrows together and his blue eyes searched hers. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she had sudden flashback to his future counterpart doing the same thing. She would miss that older version of Dylan but it was okay because he was here and she would see him again one day.

Do you love me yet? She wanted to ask. At what point in the future would she become someone he loved so dearly he wished to spend the rest of his days with her?

"Junie," he said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "I'm okay."

The smile melted all concern from his features and he returned with the same beaming honesty he always did. "Okay, well, I came over to ask if you wanted to go to check out the fair at New Farm Park," he said, his gaze skipped to Isaiah and he stuck his tongue out. Isaiah clapped and broke out into that toothless grin again, "Bring Zee, and then we could have dinner at mine if you want. Actually, Mum insists you come to dinner. She hasn't seen you in three days and she misses you." Dylan grinned, his blue eyes suddenly seemed so luminous in the afternoon light, "So, what do you say, Junebug?"

She looked over at her little brother and then up at her best friend. At the boy who encompassed her past, present and future. At the boy who'd stolen her heart, the boy she trusted enough to keep it safe.

"Let me think," She cocked her head to the side, her eyes crinkling in the corners as she smiled at him. "Okay, let's go, New Zealand."

Like she could ever deny him anything. She would give him the moon and the stars and the darkness between if he wanted. She would follow him anywhere, into a thousand wars, into foreign lands, into the bright future that awaited them.

____________________________________________________

Author's note: Actually, this fic is between AU and canon since the future Junie sees does happen but in the official story, she didn't have this dream. LOL does that make sense? Anyway, so I hoped you liked it. This fic turned out to be WAY, WAY longer than I expected but I guess I got a little carried away. Did anyone spot the little SE Easter eggs? Like Finley's son, Vincent, and Finley who will be Junie and Dylan's close friend and neighbour in the future. Or Nick's (Jensen's oldest brother) eldest daughter, Adelaide who's going to be a journalist like her father. This was really fun to write. So, thanks for reading!

- Rose xoxo