Pieces Of Time

When a time traveler falls in love with someone from a different timeline, is it disaster, or the beginning of a new romance?

Derek was trying his hardest to get that useless machine up and running again.

His time machine was proving itself to be quite the piece of work, for after countless attempts of taking it apart and putting it all back together, it was showing no signs of starting. He slammed his fist against the metal exterior of the machine at the thought, causing it to create a vibration, along with the hollow noise of sound waves traveling in the control room. He groaned in sheer aggravation. If he couldn't get it to power up, he would be considered a failure by all of his colleagues. He took a deep breath and leaned his ladder against the machine.

Derek climbed back into the dimly lit control room, which was the only room on board. The sunlight from the open door in the roof of the machine helped to adjust his eyesight. Looking all around the spacious interior of the machine, he was finally able to locate the lever that sat just in front of the leather, cushioned chair inside the room. He carefully sat down on the chair, making sure not to hit any buttons on the panel in front of it. He sighed. This was going to be his final try. If he couldn't get the time machine to work, he was going to dish the experiment out as a failure and destroy it. If it did work, however... He was excited at the thought of being the first time traveler. But he wasn't going to get his hopes up anytime soon. He pulled down the cool, silver lever. He reached over, pushing and holding down the dark green button next to it, hearing the most delightful sound.

Click, whirrr!

He stood, amazed and astonished.

Putting it in still mode, he climbed out of the control room, grabbing his already-packed bags and placing them into the lit up interior of the time machine. He didn't know how long he would be staying, but he wanted to be prepared. Checking off the last item on his checklist, he pulled himself back into the large metal ball and sealed the top of it shut with the attached air-tight lock. He had at least 3 inches of space above his head when he stood up, which was enough to prevent him from bumping his head. He took a seat in his chair, securing the seat belt and taking the machine out of still mode. Pulling down the lever even more, a screen to the right side of it activated, and requested for him to put in the year he wished to travel to. This was displayed along with the location and exact time. He punched in all three. 

The screen read, "1940, (ENGLAND), 17:00 PM".

Pressing the green button again, another 'whirring' sound came out of the machine before the light outside of the window disappeared. Derek was perplexed. What happened? Was there a power outage? He was just about to take his seat belt off before a sudden feeling hit him. The time machine felt as if it were going 180 MPH, a blur of blue and white streaks racing in front of him. He felt as if he was going to pass out before the machine came to a complete stop, unbuckling his seat belt for him and alerting him that he arrived at his destination. He stood up shakily, feeling like he was going to fall over at any given second. Leaving his bags inside and turning the machine to invisibility mode, he crawled out of the machine on all fours, unable to regain his balance. 

He lifted his head. 

He was on the sidewalk of a grey city, surrounded by buildings with stones and bricks supporting the tall walls. The sky was a light blue color, covered by only a few small, puffy clouds. The city was strangely barren, but he was so dizzy that he wouldn't be able to tell if anyone was there anyways. He remained on the ground for a few more minutes before hearing the voice of a female behind him.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" She said, looking down at him. She had a lovely British accent, and was filled with genuine concern for him. Derek froze. He lay, sprawled out on the ground, and so dizzy he could barely stand. He was quite embarrassed, to say the least. 

"I'm, um, I'm fine!" He said. The woman continued to look down at him, puzzled. Walking in front of him and reaching out her hand, she offered to help him up.

"Are you sure? Here, let me help you." He grabbed a hold of her hand gently, pulling himself up and together. He turned his gaze up to her. He wasn't feeling as dizzy, but things were still blurry. His sight then focused on her, leaving him stunned at her looks. She was beautiful. She was just a few inches shorter than him, wearing a dark blue gingham dress with t-shirt sleeves, with curly, dark brown locks that fell down below her shoulders, and white flats. Her eyes were dark brown and kind. She was barely wearing any makeup besides mascara and a bright red lipstick. She smiled at him. 

"I'm Linda. Linda Campbell. And you are?" Derek was stunned. Her cheerfulness was absolutely radiant. He felt like he forgot his name. Was it from the time machine, or was it from her?

"M-my name is Derek Bradley. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He blushed a little, embarrassment written all over his pale face. She chuckled.

"What a gentleman. It's a pleasure to meet you too. Going somewhere?" She looked at his black jeans and red plaid shirt. She started to admire his short, light brown hair, which was sticking up into the air above his forehead. Derek looked down at himself.

"Oh, no. Just exploring the city." Linda smiled and smoothed out her dress. There weren't many wrinkles in it, but she still felt the need. 

"Well," She said. "I've never seen a man explore by laying on the ground." She chuckled even more.  Derek was ready to get back into his time machine and hide at this point. The prettiest woman he had ever met, and he was laying on the ground in front of her? He shook his head. He felt like such an idiot.

"Er, it wasn't exactly like that. I tripped." Linda raised an eyebrow skeptically, but accepted the answer she received.

"I see... Are you new here? I haven't seen you before." Derek became very nervous. He was trying so hard not to blow his cover. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He cleared his throat before he spoke, which gave him more time to think of what to say.

"I've lived here for a short while. Not too long, heh." Linda smiled warmly at him again.

"Well, I don't live too far from here! Would you like to come with me? You look like you could use something to eat." She giggled. Derek looked at himself again. He wasn't hungry, but he did look pretty skinny compared to the townsfolk around him. His clothes were a little dirty from crawling on the ground, too. 

"I would enjoy that." He said, smiling. He was curious at what the food was like there, too. She motioned for him to follow her, and he obliged. They strolled together, talking about themselves. Their favorite things, what they did in their spare time, you name it. They were laughing and enjoying themselves greatly. They finally arrived at her home, which was sturdy and made with thick red bricks. The roof was layered with brown shingles that complemented the whole house. Linda unlocked the door, pulled it open, and motioned for Derek to come in. Derek curiously looked around the red-walled cabin and was delighted by the sights of soft woolen rugs and dainty velvet furniture. Linda turned to him silently.

"Make yourself at home! I'll get the cookies and tea." She started to walk away before turning back again quickly. "Would you like cream or sugar in your tea?" Derek nodded and answered.

"Cream, and two sugars. I enjoy tea when it's sweet," Derek said. Linda grinned.

"I like the same combination!" She said, clapping her hands. "It's amazing how much we have in common, isn't it?" Derek nodded yet again. She was a very agreeable lady.

"Yes ma'am, it is." Linda walked over to the kitchen and started preparing the snacks and drinks for the both of them. Derek stared at the framed painting on the wall farthest from him. It was a lake, with a few birds flying over it. There was a large oak tree in the bottom right corner that looked as if a treehouse could be built in it. It almost had to have been done by a professional painter, due to it's great quality. He looked all over the room at the furniture and old decor. A grandfather clock sat in the corner of the room, swinging softly. Derek was mesmerized by the motion of it until Linda came back in with a plate of cookies and two cups of tea on the same tray. Derek took his tea carefully and thanked her. He also pulled a couple of chocolate chip cookies off of the tray, which were his favorite. They began conversing.

"It's a nice place, hm?" Said Linda, taking a long sip of her tea and gazing at Derek through brown eyes. Derek took a sip as well and spoke politely.

"Yes, I really do like it. It'd be nice to live here..." He trailed off, but she didn't seem to notice. Linda took a couple of bites off of a peanut butter cookie and nodded. 

"I like it too. It was my dream home when I was little." She sighed. "I guess dreams do come true." She faintly smiled and continued. "You said you just moved here. If that's so, where?" She asked. Derek almost spat out his tea. He hadn't thought that far at all. He hated lying to her, but to protect his cover...

"You see, I'm in a, er, hotel. I haven't exactly moved here yet." Derek chuckled. Linda chuckled along with him.

"I hope you're enjoying your stay here. England is indeed a nice place. I've lived here my whole life." Derek felt the same. He lived in England... Modern England. Not in the 1940's. He guessed that would be a topic for a... different conversation. He barely knew her. How awkward would that be? 'Oh, hey, I'm actually from the future' would make him seem like a weirdo. She would never talk to him again. He left that topic alone.

"I am enjoying myself." He said. "Even if I haven't been here that long." He laughed. She laughed along. She glanced over at the grandfather clock. The small hand was pointing to VII. Derek had studied roman numerals before. Was that a 7?

"Oh my, it's getting rather late. Is there anywhere you need to be at this time?" She asked worriedly. Derek shrugged.

"No ma'am. I'm fine right where I am." Linda blushed. She couldn't begin to describe how polite he was. She had never felt feelings for a man like this before.

They talked for hours on end. It was just at 12:00 AM that Derek finally left. He thanked Linda for the treats and beverages, and excused himself. Just as he walked down the steps of the cabin to leave, Linda stopped him.

"Excuse me..." She said. Derek stopped and turned to face her.

"Is something wrong?" He asked gently. She sighed and tried to calm herself.

"Please don't go." She blurted. Derek was surprised. No one had ever really said that to him before, especially a woman. She covered her mouth, surprised at what she had just spilled out. Her eyes locked on his, unable to let go. She finally spoke. "You're the most polite man I've ever met. You're funny, but serious. You're thankful for everything I do for you. But most of all, I love you." Derek faintly smiled, slowly walking back up the stairs and taking her hands into his. She was speechless. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but that's what it began to feel like to both of them.

"I love you too." He said. "I've felt like this since I met you. But if we are going to be together, I need to tell you something." She nervously questioned him.

"W-what?" She said. "Are you already with someone?" She frowned. Derek shook his head.

"No, not at all. It's just, I'm not from this time. The year you live in. I am from a distant time. One in the future. I travel through different years." She was confused. What did he mean, different years? Derek saw her expression and tried explaining his situation better. "I have a machine that I made myself. It lets me go to any year I want. One in the past, or the future." Linda began to understand, although it was hard to wrap her head around it.

"You travel through time?" She felt like she had a hold on what he was talking about, even though it seemed very foreign.

"Yes. I need to return to my time." He started to embrace her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't want him to leave. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted. "Unless..." Derek said. Her eyes widened. 

Derek sighed. He thought of all the fun they would have together. All the things they would see together. How much she would learn from time traveling. He let those final words slip from the corners of his mouth.

"Unless, you want to come with me." It was a difficult decision, but Derek waited patiently for an answer. It wasn't a minute later that Linda hugged him as tight as she could, planting a kiss on his cheek and wiping the tears from her eyes. She nodded her head, unable to speak from all of her emotions.

He got just the answer he was looking for.

Author's Note

No, I'm not continuing it.

Reviews

[patroclus]

a lovely piece, and an interesting idea! i'm a sucker for time-travelling romance stories, and this was very nice. linda sounds like someone i'd fall in love with at first sight, too. thank you for posting this.

[elko]

Thank you so much! I was simply trying my hand at writing romance fiction, and time-travelling sounded like an interesting idea. I thought I did pretty good for my first time! Heehee.