Double Back

Compromise

Sybil sat on her bed in the small red bedroom that had two small twin beds in it. In the one next to her the strange military man slept tucked deep into his covers to block out the cold of the basement. She sat propped up against the newly painted red wall with a laptop on her lap. She had grown to love this time with all the technology she could ever want at her fingertips, it took her a couple of days, one messed up email and some google help to figure out this new skill but now that she had the power, she was going to search for someone that could help her. She searched for hours just looking for someone who would believe her story and when she finally found one, of course they where in Ottawa. Just her luck, her damned mother sends her across time just because she couldn't finish what she had started, she was never going to have a normal life was she? Frustrated as hell and on the brink of tears, she settles into bed for the night, this could all be resolved tomorrow.

"You? Come to Ottawa?" Arick laughed so hard she thought his head would explode , "And where would a child like you stay, who would put you up? Your probably what 19?"

"Actually I'm 19 and a half!" She said trying so hard to recover.

"Oh sorry, if I had known that extra half was there I wouldn't have said anything!" She rolled her eyes, what did he know, where she was from no one would have questioned her, not one person, but now here is this stupid military man questioning if she could care for herself.

"Fuck you Arick! All I need is one damn ride, now can you help me out or not?" She screamed at him, his eyes enlarged as the shock began to show on his face.

"Fine, but on one condition." He said, a smile creeping across his face.

"And what's that?"

"You go out.. on a date... with me." She could feel her cheeks warming as they filled with red, she had to look away, his grin was too much, it was cocky, almost evil but quite frankly, sexy. She needed a ride, and at least this meant a free meal for her.

"Fine, but make it some decent food at least, and you must understand one thing," She began to wave her finger in front of his face, "absolutely, positively, legit no joke, no sex."

"Not even turtle sex?" He asked.

"What in the name of heaven is turtle sex?"

"I have no idea, that's what my friend Claire says." He replied shrugging. The way they joked around felt natural to Sybil, with Chase she felt she almost had to act to feel normal, no matter what she said he always felt so alien to her. With Arick it felt so good, was this what it was supposed to feel like, she wondered.

"Let's go to On The Grass," He suggested, "It's Claire's restaurant and they serve great food, I promise." She didn't know any other place, so of course she agreed. He stood up and walked away humming some tune that must have been playing on the radio earlier that morning. It was just before breakfast time so she began to prepare breakfast for Keira. The smell of turkey bacon and eggs must have been a wake up call because as soon as she started cooking, she heard the tinny pitter patter of little feet, running down the stairs, into the kitchen. Behind them she could hear larger ones that called out "Don't run down the stairs".

"Good morning Sybil, how nice of you to make breakfast, did you use turkey bacon not pork?" Keira asked nervously.

"Sure did, I know the drill." The children left to go into the next room. Sybil began to retell the story of what just went down in the kitchen.

"Oh honey you didn't!" Keira replied with a disapproving look on her face.

"What? Is something wrong with him?"

"Arick is an amazing guy, he's kind and gentle, but after his mom got sick last year, he's been on an insane dating spree, I mean new girl every week kind or dating spree."

Even after hearing this, she couldn't help but feel even more for the guy, how could she be so selfish, he was in a state of mourning, but then again so was everyone she ever slept with apparently. She would just have to wait and see what happens, hopefully a lot will.