Tina pulled Bette into her arms and rested her head on her lover’s shoulder, staring at Christina’s tombstone. There was an inscription at the bottom that made her ponder. ‘I had but one regret…’

“Do you have any regrets?” Tina asked quietly.

“No,” Bette replied firmly. “Earlier on I had my doubts and that was one of the reasons I went back in time in a first place…to confront my demons and to get a closure. I do not regret anything.” Bette turned around in Tina’s arms so they would face each other. “What about you?”

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I want you to forget about any sorrows or doubts and just concentrate on the future.”

Bette smiled, “This is a tall order but if I have you, it will be easy.”

“As easy as the idea of spending the rest of your life with me?”

“What are you saying, Tee?” Bette asked, trying not to cry at the thought of what Tina was implying.

“I’m saying that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Ms. Porter, because I love you like crazy.”

“Well, I hardly know you, Ms. Kennard. You’re such an enigma to me sometimes. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into…” Bette teased as her eyes welled up.

“Marry me and you’ll have to rest of your life to get to know me better,” Tina held her breath as she waited on Bette’s reply.

The brilliant smile spread slowly on Bette’s face as she pulled Tina closer and kissed fiercely. They kissed each other for what seemed like a century, mixing their laughter with tears.

“Is this a yes, baby?” Tina asked, caressing Bette’s face, as she searched her eyes for any hint of hesitation.

“Yes, it’s a big, loud and happy YES,” Bette replied, sealing her answer with a passionate kiss.

Meanwhile

Somewhere inside the secret government bunker

Agent Johnson lit the last cigarette and crumbled the empty pack, throwing it away. The cigarette dangled from his lips as he walked inside an ordinary looking building and turned on the switch. The light was still dim but bright enough to show the rows of shelves filled with boxes, files and odd-looking objects. Each section of the long corridor was labeled with names and the boxes had stickers with case numbers.

Agent Johnson walked slowly as he carried a small box with a label that read EP1886X. He passed several sections identified as the alien abductions, meteorite crash sites, UFO sighting, and UFO crash sites, until he reached the end of the row. The time travel section only had one shelf that was pretty much empty and looked like it was newly installed.

Agent Johnson placed the box next to a tray with several glass vials that had small metal objects inside them. He opened the box cover to check on the items inside and rummaged through them, as he inhaled the smoke. The History of the Orange County was right on top and he moved it aside, looking at the functional MRI scan of Bette’s brain. He put the scan to the light, looking at the bright spots on the orbital-frontal cortex and frowned. Something on the scan didn’t look right. The agent zeroed in on a small pineal gland that was the brightest spot. It was slightly off center, which was highly impossible and abnormal.

“I’ll be damned,” he muttered and stared at the image for a few more seconds. Finally, he sighed, dropped the scan back inside the box and closed the lid. The case was closed and nothing else he could do. Agent Johnson walked back to the entrance, as he finished his cigarette. He dropped it on the ground and stomped the remains with his boot. He turned the light off and set the alarm. With the last look around, the FBI agent closed the heavy door and locked it from the outside. He sighed and shook his head again. “I’ll be damned.”

THE END