Ritchie and I went into Charlie's bike shop using the key Charlie gave me.

As I hurriedly walked to the blue door, I glanced back at the tape on the floor. In the shape of bodies.

"1957," I said after I shut the door. The stair I was standing on started expanding, so I pulled Ritchie up. The rest of the stairs below folded in on themselves. Like an elevator, our stair went down.

Wait. Ritchie could meet his past self.

Well, frick.

I didn't think this through - oh, crap, I didn't think this through...

When we got to the door, I put my hand on the handle, but I couldn't bring myself to open it.

What had I done? I just... threw Ritchie into all this. All because Joe had to look into something. All because Henry stole Joe's research. All because I just couldn't control myself - I couldn't turn Ritchie down.

Rich kids jumped us. I kissed Ritchie. Somebody hit on me. Henry couldn't leave things alone. A split second decision. Everyone I ever cared about... dying. Murdered.

And Ritchie never said "no." Never told me he didn't want anything to do with this. And I just... I pulled him in. He didn't want this. Surely.

"Claire?"

My hand jerked on the handle, but I didn't open the door. "Huh?" I asked, turning around.

Ritchie looked at me with sad eyes. "Claire, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Then open the door."

I just stared at him. Lost in thought. In grief.

I dropped my suitcase.

What had I done?

After a minute, he reached out to hug me. I jumped back. I started to cry.

"I'm so sorry."

He immediately wrapped me in a hug. "It's not your fault, Claire. I swear it's not."

"I dragged you into this," I said, shaking my head against his chest.

"No, you didn't. I promise, Claire. None of this was your fault. It's not your fault."

He kept repeating that until I calmed.

I never would've made it through any of it without Ritchie.

I wiped eyes and sniffed, turning to open the door...

But it wasn't New Years. We were back in the diner... and it was not what it was when I came. It was day, not night. Past Ritchie wasn't in his booth. Music wasn't blaring, people weren't dancing.

I felt a click.

Ritchie and I hurried out of the diner and back to his house.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

When we opened the door, Darrel and Jack were in the living room.

They jumped up, running to hug us, "Where have you been?!"

"Doesn't matter," Ritchie replied.

"Everything okay?" Darrel asked, brows furrowed.

I nodded, "Yeah. Everything's fine."

No, it's not.

"What happened?"

"Family troubles."

Close enough.

We all migrated to Ritchie's couch and sat my stuff down on the floor.

"What happened when we were gone?" Ritchie asked.

"We went and sat on the front porch like we always do, and this girl named Rachel fell on the curb, so I helped her up. Long story short - I got a date," Darrel replied, grinning. I almost breathed a sigh of relief; even though I hadn't known him long, I didn't like seeing Darrel concerned. It just wasn't... right.

"What does she look like?" I asked him.

He thought for a moment, "She's a beauty. She had long, blonde hair and blue eyes. Kinda short..."

Why does that sound familiar?

"Did she have high cheekbones?" I asked.

Darrel nodded, "How did you know?"

It was the woman I saw when I first met Ritchie. When I first felt a click, I saw a woman and two kids...

I felt a click when the mustang pulled up behind us.

I felt clicks when I made a scene at the drive-in.

I changed things. I added or took away experiences in people's lives. The clicks meant I changed something. Somebody's future family. An event that hadn't happened before. A conversation somebody never would've had if I hadn't been there.

"You were supposed to fall in love with Rachael, Ritchie," I said, "Darrel said you always sit on the front porch... but you were with me. You couldn't have helped her when she fell. The clicks happen every time I change something."

He nodded, "So you felt a click at the diner...?"

"Yeah," I replied.

He sighed, "That's when I fell in love with you."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah. And... I'll catch you."

He was silent for a long time, then he laughed. "You weren't asleep?"

I shook my head. "I wanted to say something then but..."

He sighed. "Do you know why it didn't reset?"

I shook my head, "No..." I started to leave. "Where're you goin'?"

"Testing out a theory."

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><   

I went back to the diner and walked back inside, deciding on the future.

"3040," I said, causing the stair I was standing on to expand to the other side of the space as all the other ones folded in, like before. It sent me straight there.

I walked into a field and saw a woman across the street.

"Hello," I said. She smiled at me and I felt a click. When she was gone, I went back inside the staircase.

When I went back in a minute later, I watched for the woman. I looked down the street and saw she was farther down.

I was right.

So, I went back into the staircase again.

"1957," I spoke. The same thing happened as it did when I went back with Ritchie. I slung the door open and ran out, feeling clicks as I went.

I knocked on the door, and Ritchie opened it. "It doesn't reset if I change something," I immediately said.

"What the heck are you talkin' about?" Darrel finally asked. I sighed and explained the whole situation to him and Jack.

"Why should I believe you?" Jack asked.

"Do you believe Ritchie?" I argued. They thought for a moment then nodded.

"Whether it's real or not, I still think you're crazy," Darrel said.

I shrugged, "Fair enough."

"So... you can time travel?" Jack asked.

I nodded, "But you never will. And I probably never will again."

"Why not?"

"Were you listening for the last fifteen minutes?"

"Yes..."

"That's why."

Ritchie put his arm around my shoulders. Darrel copied him on the other side of me, grinning. Jack just shook his head, chuckling at Darrel, who promptly made a big show of kissing me on the cheek.

Ritchie proceed to smack him on the back of the head. "Cut it out." Darrel placed his hand on his chest, and feigned offense.

And I laughed...