The life of a physicist can be troubling, at times, as the universe doesn't always play well with others.

But even the universe can't break a true promise.

I spent most of my time these days helping Brett with some of the physics stuff he was working on for the government. Always just doing the bits that were holding him back, trying not to release any information or science that wasn't quite known yet. A very difficult balance, though.

Brett looked at me and sighed. "You know I usually leave this kind of stuff to Tedd."

I laughed. "Yes, I do, but some of these things held Tedd up for a bit, working with you allowed me to get so much more done."

He smiled. "Have you ever actually listened to yourself? 'Yes, I do, but some of these things held Tedd up for quite a bit, working with you allowed me to get so much more done.' just sounds silly."

I giggled. "Yeah, I guess I do have a bit of a pronoun problem, but I can't think of any other way to say some of this. And it's rather rude of me to expect people to invent a whole new set of pronouns for what is probably a unique event in history."

He laughed. "Actually, the most disturbing part of you speech is how you keep switching between first and third person when referring to Tedd."

I thought about that for a second. "Well, considering that I'm him and he's me, and I'm pretty sure that 'we' wouldn't be appropriate..."

Another laugh from Brett. "Alright, I concede that point."

I put down my coffee and walk off to take a shower. In the bathroom I stop in front of the mirror, and for some reason I can't explain... I stare.

A few minutes later, Brett comes in, and hugs me tightly. "Why are you crying?"

I sniffle. "The mirror..."

He looks at it. "Yeah, it could stand to be cleaned, maybe, but that's not worth crying over."

I try to glare at him but it doesn't really work. "I was looking at myself in the mirror, and I realized exactly what I was seeing."

He started rubbing my back. "Probably the same thing I see, a pretty woman."

"That's just it... I saw me."

He laughed a bit. "Hun, mirrors tend to do that, show reflections."

I decided against trying the glare again. "No, I mean... I saw me. Me. The person I saw in the mirror is me."

"Tara, like I said... mirrors tend to do that. Would you like to get a mirror that shows someone else?"

I so want to glare at him. "No, I mean... the person in the mirror, she's me. I... I think for the first time I realized that I really am the girl in the mirror. And that I'm not fighting against having been Tedd or anything else. The girl in the mirror is just me, and I'm okay with that."

Brett thought this over for a minute. "So, why are you crying then? I'd think you would be happy."

I looked up at him. "I am... it's just... I think everything hit me all at once. Kind of like an emotional pileup. Like 15 cars pileup."

Brett stood up and turned the water on in the bath. "C'mon, you need to relieve some stress, why don't you hop into the bath and let the warm water and bubbles absorb some of that."

I nodded weakly and he helped me stand up, and helped me get undressed and into the bath.

He gave me a small kiss on the forehead. "When you're done, why don't you come down to the kitchen. I'll have some hot cocoa for you."

"Brett... I love you. I want you to know that. I'm in love with Carol, but you... you've been a better friend, and more, than I have any right to expect. Thank you."

He smiled. "If the situations had been reversed you would've done the same, and you know it."

"Yes, but still, thank you."

And Brett walks out.

***

I sat in the bath thinking back to the beginning of this whole thing. This wonderful woman enters our lives, makes us live life to the fullest, and dies in a horrible way, to save us. Then I lose my life trying to save everyone on base, and end up back in time, as that wonderful woman. And now I'm here, sitting in the bath, actually enjoying my life. I don't know how I ended up here, but at the moment I feel satisfied with where I am.

I get out of the bath when I noticed that a bit too much of the heat has finally departed the water, and dry myself off. I walk into my room and choose a nice comfortable cami and shorts to wear and head down towards the kitchen. When I get there Brett is just hanging up from a phone call, and he has a somber expression on his face.

"Tara..."

"What's up Brett? You look a bit pale."

He swallows. "I just got a call."

I smile at him. "Well, that was obvious, with you talking on the phone."

He looks at me. "Here, take this cocoa, and you're going to want to sit down."

I take the mug and sit across the table from him, a bit worried, he's being a bit more serious than usual.

"What's going on, Brett?"

He looks away, and I'm wondering if that's fear in his eyes. "Tara, that was someone from the DoD, they've detected a small power drain down in the industrial district. Having been informed by me to keep an eye out for these things, they sent an FBI team to the location, and found the building completely empty. They also detected evidence that some heavy equipment had been in the building."

I gasp, and start shaking a bit. "It's starting..."

"Tara, don't worry, I'm here for you, but in a couple of days you're going to need to go to the base and talk to someone."

I try not to cry, but I know he's going to hear the pain in my voice. "But... some of the stuff I know, I can't just tell to anyone."

He nods. "I'm sure they'll work something out."

I sigh. "Brett... I'm scared."

Brett gets up and walks around the table, pulling another chair close. He sits down and just holds me. I do feel a bit safer.

He gives me a small kiss. "I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere. I want us to grow old together."

I start sobbing.

Brett nodded solemnly. "Look, I hope that someday you'll tell me everything, but I'm not going to push it."

***

A few days later we head towards the base. Brett gets us past security and we head into the base itself. Descending a few floors towards our destination, we have a bit of time to talk.

Brett gives me a small hug. "I'm here for you, Tara, if you need me, I'll be there as soon as I can. The general is just here so someone can be fully briefed on the situation."

I sigh softly into his chest. "I'm just scared. So many things could go wrong, and I have no way of knowing if I'm doing the right thing."

He brushes a few strands of hair from my face. "I trust you, and I know you'll always do the right thing. You have a good heart and I know that you'll make the right choices when the time comes."

The elevator stops and we walk down a hallway. We head down a twisty little set of corridors until I would be completely lost if I hadn't worked here for years.

Brett knocks on the general's door.

From inside. "Come in."

Brett opens the door. As I'm walking in, he gives me a small hug. "I'll be down in the waiting area. You'll be fine."

I close the door behind me and stand in front of the general's desk. I know him, but, of course, he doesn't know me.

"Please, have a seat, this may take a while. Drink?"

I smile. "Yes, thank you."

He reaches slightly behind desk and opens a small fridge, and hands me a cold soda.

He gives me a warm smile. "Hello, my name is General Steven Anderson, and I understand that you have a bit of a story to tell."

I nod, a bit reluctantly.

He keeps smiling. "Now, before you get started, let me tell you, I realize that until a few years ago, Tara Smith did not exist, and in fact, is first recorded in the records at Star City Memorial Hospital."

I gasp. "I... I..."

"Don't worry, your ID is quite solid. I should know, I helped create it."

He keeps smiling. I'm seriously wondering if he ever stops. "Now, I'd also like to tell you that what little Mr. Thompson has said already, has resulted in a direct order from the President. Anything you say to me, regarding events I shouldn't have knowledge about, will never leave this room."

I sighed. "What would you like to know first?"

Still smiling. "I think the first order of business is establishing your real identity."

I nodded. "Doctor Theodore 'Tedd' Ricten, Mil-ID 3X9FP0136 Civilian, Lead Scientist Project FlashDawn, husband to Carol Ricten, maiden name Evans."

His smile softens slightly. "Wait, you're Tedd? I just saw him in here with Brett a few days ago."

I nod. "Yes, I am. And don't worry, he's not an imposter. The truth is much more unrealistic. I'm Tedd from the future."

His smile returns. "While I'm unfamiliar with the project you mentioned, everything else does check out. I'm assuming the project will be created at a later date?"

I nod. "I have a question before I give you the details on that. If I point out the time of death of someone, will you attempt to prevent it? Even your own?"

His smile finally disappeared, and he sat quietly thinking about that for a couple of minutes. "I... I have to assume that if I come to my alloted time to die in the near future I will have done it with the knowledge gained here, so I would have to say yes. I can't imagine avoiding it just because I knew it was coming, if the cause was important."

I nodded. "Good."

"Why, am I dying soon?"

I smiled. "I have no idea, but if the timeline I'll tell you involved your death, I needed to know that you wouldn't try altering it, which could have disastrous effects, even in defense of your own life."

His smile returned. "Very good, you're just as smart and logical as Tedd. Which, I suppose, is rather reasonable, considering."

I sit for a moment, considering how to approach my next sentence. I decide to return his favor and put a nice big smile on my face, which given the subject matter will hopefully have some impact.

"Project FlashDawn, which I've always considered a stupid name, is created about 6 months after my death."

He gasps. "Do you mean Tedd's death?"

I shake my head. "No, I mean me. Tara Smith, will be dying at some point in the near future. Probably within the next year or so."

He grimaces. "You have an awfully cavalier attitude for someone who's going to die within a couple of years."

I grin. "Yeah, well, I've died once already, it's a bit easier to cope with after the first time."

He nods. "I suppose there's that. But what do you mean the first time?"

I sigh. "Several years from now, Project FlashDawn is going to be attacked. There will be deaths. Someone will have gained access and use my machine to take, what I can only believe is a weaponized version of the Project, and vanishes within the unstable field. I will attempt to shut down the machine and succeed, but at the cost of the room, and everything in it, including myself. I can tell you, I never had my life flash in front of my eyes, my final thought was something along the lines of 'oh shit'."

He chuckles. "Many a combat veteran who's had a near-death experience or has been brought back from the dead has had that exact same sentiment, so I can understand. I assume this is when you then woke in that body in SCMH?"

I nod. "Listen, perhaps it'd be better if I just start at the beginning and tell you everything, up until now, starting from when Tedd first met Tara."

He nods, and we spend the next few hours going over everything in painstaking detail.

***

I meet up with Brett as we start to head home. I'm very drained, emotionally and physically, as the story has many rather emotional moments for me.

I lean into Brett a bit. "So, he's been fully briefed, and I'm now on-call for any future unsual electrical events."

He nodded. "So, he believed you?"

I smile. "Well, I know things that only Tedd should know, plus I had details about the general that I wouldn't have otherwise had. Like his birthday. We went to a party for him in a few years."

He puts his arm around me. "Come on, lets get you home, you've had a rough day."

We leave the base and get into his car, headed towards home.

"So, did you tell him everything?" Brett asked.

I nodded. "Yep, everything. Well, nearly everything."

He thought about that for moment. "How did he get you to trust him to tell him everything?"

I smiled. "Simple. I asked him if I had knowledge of his own death, would he still be willing to do what it takes to get stuff done without interfering with time."

Brett chuckled. "That was low. How did he answer that one?"

"Basically, he said if he died, he probably died knowing everything I was going to tell him, including that he was going to die, and considered it an honorable death."

Brett sighed. "But won't he just tell his superiors?"

I shook my head. "Nope, presidential orders to never divulge his knowledge of the future. That was part of how I could trust him. I assume he's probably mentioned you have to keep a lid on what I've told you as well."

"Yep."

I leaned up against him, but tried not to disturb his arm on the wheel. "Let's just get home, I'm tired."

***

The man and woman stood looking over invoices, trying to make sure they had all the equipment they would need for the next test.