August 23rd 1997

Finally one morning I started feeling better. My symptoms were completely gone and I could move on my own. My supplements had all been taken and the poison was effectivly cleared out of my body. I was ready to go home.

The boys had played a show several days before and finished the last part of the tour. Everyone would go to their own homes and get back together next year for a show or two here and there. But for the most part, the tour was over, and we were going home.

For the last concert I stayed at the hotel. The boys weren't keen on the idea of leaving me behind. I was nervous about it myself. But I couldn't go in my condition and the band couldn't cancel so we parted. They didn't stay very long though backstage. We would have left for Australia earlier but Angus wanted me one hundred percent better.

The day before we left I received a letter from New Jersey. It was from Justice, my old friend, saying she and her parents were doing better and she found another guy. A better one. She also wrote that she was coming to Australia to visit me in a few weeks. I was ecstatic and wrote her back. I told her there was gonna be a lot of stories to tell so she better get popcorn.

As for my poisoning incident, we told the police about what happened. I explained my story and they promised to look into it. But with that runaway criminal it would be difficult to know when. We never got a word back from them, and I'm sure it took even longer without a facial description. The man probably went into hiding looking for his next victim.

I also wrote to Justice saying that she would have to come to a slightly different address. Angus and I wouldn't go to his house right away, and I gave her the phone number. She hasn't written back and I thought maybe she hadn't received it yet.

I was nervous. I had never met Angus' mother before. The night in Ireland when we slept outside he had asked me to see his family. He wanted to introduce me, a friend of his, and thought it would bring us closer. And since he couldn't see my family, this is the plan we went with.

The next day we boarded the plane for Australia. The band, Georganne, and I had gathered in one area to play cards. It was our last time being together for a while. Brian, Cliff, and Georganne were going back to Florida while Phil was going to New Zealand. Eventually after Phil won his seventh consecutive game of gin rummy, Angus and Malcolm got up to talk.

The brothers excused themselves to talk in a separate part of the plane. "So you're goin' to see Mum, eh?" Malcolm asked. Angus leaned against the seat behind him.

"Yeah. Want to introduce Hannah to her. Hope I'm not makin' a mistake," he laughed. Malcolm shook his head.

"Naw, that's what you should do. Introduce a girl to your family, that's the way to do it."

"I'm a bit on edge as to what she'll say. I mean, what do I tell her? 'Hey Mum, I'd like you to meet my twenty six year old friend. Ain't she sweet? Yeah, by the way, I've fallen in love with her. So how've you been?'" Malcolm laughed.

"You don't have to tell her all that stuff ya' know. As far as she's concerned you're just friends." Angus shifted his weight to his other foot.

"Yeah but she's my mum. I feel like I should tell her."

"She's my mum too. An' what's she gonna do? Ground ya'?"

"Might give Hannah a rough time. But I want those two to meet no matter what happens."

"I know Mum Angus, she's a great lady. She won't treat anyone rough especially if we know 'em. A friend of yours is a friend of hers, right?" Angus smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah you're right."

"Always am."

"Don't get cheeky," Angus said pointing a finger. Malcolm lightly pushed his hand away.

"Hannah's a good girl, Mum will love her."

"You could come with us ya' know. 'm sure Mum wants to see both of her favorite kids."

"Ah, wish I could. But I gotta see my little girl first. Been damn too long." Angus closed his eyes and sighed. "Angus?"

"Hmm?"

"Ya' ever thought about-if you an' Hannah got hitched, an' she was comfortable with it, that you might've had kids?" Angus opened his eyes and frowned.

"No. No I haven't."

"Does Hannah even want kids?"

"I-I don't think so."

"Huh. Maybe not then." Malcolm shrugged and turned to leave. "Tell Mum I said hi an' that I'll be bringin' the family for Christmas." Angus smiled.

"Sure thing."

"We'll see you, Ellen, Phil might come, an' Hannah alright?"

"Yep. See you then." Malcolm went back to the card game and Angus found a place to sit down. Countless times he thought about spending time with Hannah but never about having kids. It seemed she wasn't too partial with them to begin with, and her situation added to it. Well, it didn't matter anyway. If Hannah ever changed her mind, she could go off and find her own someone, most likely at her own place. Nothing was stopping her. Except she was still in this time.

How do you explain that to your mother? That the girl you've fallen completely in love with is much younger than you, not your wife, and you've known her longer but could never be together is because she's a time traveler? Talk about excuse of the year. That ought to be one hell of a conversation at the dinner table.

"So we'll see you at Christmas then?"

"Right will! See ya' then!" Malcolm called out. We stayed at the airport while the others boarded planes to their rightful destinations. As for us, drivers would pick us up. I clenched the door handle as I sat in the car. The scenary flew by along with every house. Minute by minute we went deeper into the neighborhoods.

Fingers brushed over my own as the car neared the house. "Ya' nervous?"

"Y-yeah. I'm not sure how well she'll take me," I answered. Angus locked fingers with me and brought my hand to his lips.

"Jus' stick with me. You'll be okay. Though, it will be tough to explain to her about..." Angus let go of my hand to point at his watch. My face fell.

"Oh yeah. Do-do we have to?" He shrugged.

"It's up to you I guess. But it's the only way to explain how we met and how I-" Angus stopped short to look at me. "How I-" He sighed and smiled. A hand reached up to push my hair back. A minute of silence fell between us. "Finally got my hair cut. My mum wouldn't like it so long."

"Looks nice," I admitted.

"Thanks. A lot cooler now, good for the summer." The car stopped in front of a large house. Large enough for eight kids and two doting parents. A picket fence full of loose and bent nails stood in the front. All curtains of the house were shut, except one on the first floor. Trees of green shaded half the house all hours of the day. The paint on the door was chipped and the lock on the gate was rusted. Some flowers along with a few weeds were growing in a small garden by a shrub. It was beautiful despite the homely appearance. "This is it." Angus opened his door. "Ya' comin'?" I looked back at the house and took a deep breath.

"Yep."