song selection: love in vain (cover) by the rolling stones

Michael turned over to Jude now looking out past the window silently. She hadn't spoken much since they'd left to studio, having him worry over why she was acting like this. "Jude, are you alright?" He asked her.

Pretending like she wasn't faced with a deep regret and questioning every action she'd made since she first arrived in 1985, Jude turned back to Michael seemingly unaware of why he would be asking her this. "Of course I am? Why would you say that?"

"Because they just played Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin and you didn't even try to sing along," He mentioned and she just gave him a small smile, keeping silent.

There was no proper way she could think of phrasing her dilemma to him. Michael certainly couldn't and shouldn't know anything about his future, but the trouble was that she did. She knew that this was a pivotal moment in his life and her being here was stopping him from experiencing it.

"What could I say? That I need to get the hell out of there so time can be in order? Well, order enough to fix the big mistakes I've been making. Yeah, like that'd go well for the both of us," Jude thought, continuing to contemplate the extremity of her actions in terms of time travel.

She held his hand on the stick shift, looking him in the eye so he'd believe her. "I'm fine," She said and looked back out the window, "Just hungry."

He just sighed under his breath, still keeping a smile. Michael wasn't a complete idiot and he knew Jude well enough to know there was something wrong. He hoped it was nothing serious and she'd be alright with some food and sleep. Still, he was going to continue to be concerned over her until he saw otherwise.

Michael parked the car finally in front of the steakhouse and she sighed in relief to be out of the closed space, stepping out of the car first.

"I can't just leave, that's fucking rude. But I can't also stay here. Or tell him. No! I'm just being stupid as per-freaking usual. I can stay, I can be with Mike. No ones going to stop me! Unless time disintegrates finally." There was a million different ways of getting herself out of the situation she was in or simply staying where she was. The various scenarios running across her head seemed to be Jude's version of a pros and cons list, wondering which was better for Michael. After all, this wasn't her future she was affecting, it never was.

It was his and that made it hurt all the more.

A hand intertwining with Jude's stopped her thoughts momentarily and she took him in, holding Michael's hand tightly and leaning into his shoulder. Jude took the seat across from him the waiter pulled out for me while Michael ordered as soon as they'd seated. Deciding to seem normal again, she grinned up to him. "So how was the new actress?" Jude asked once they'd had settled.

"Yeah she's really nice. Think we'll get along just fine," He said and shrugged, "Not that hard for me to get along with co-stars though."

"It's that Foxy personality of yours," She joked.

Michael rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Obviously," He continued, making her giggle, "Speaking of being a Fox, my parents invited me to visit with them this summer to Vancouver."

She raised a brow at him curiously. "Okay?" She asked with a light laugh, not realizing why this would include her, "Then go to Vancouver in the winter."

"I want to take you along too," Michael explained and she looked to him surprised.

He didn't understand exactly why she'd be surprised by this. Jude meant everything to him and he wanted his family to know her because he thought they were serious enough at this point. Now wondering if what was making her this way was about him, he decided to not ask about it and was better off not knowing if he was right.

"Why do you want to take me along anyway?" Jude asked and shook her head, "It's a serious thing you taking me to meet your parents and I hope you-"

"I do! But it's not like I'm asking you to marry me; I'm just asking for you to come spend a weekend in Vancouver with me," He explained.

"It's about as close in my eyes," She remarked, picking at her finger nails nervously.

He raised a brow at her questioningly. "Jujube?" His blue eyes looked to her concerned as she bit the inside of her cheek. "What's wrong? You haven't seemed alright since the script reading."

"It's nothing," She said to him as he raised his brow, not believing the phrase as much as Jude wanted him to. Taking his hand in hers, she held it tightly in order to try and convince him that everything was still perfect. Like she didn't feel as if she was going to be heartbroken by the end of tonight. "Michael I'm not used to this alright? All of this is still a shock for me sometimes. I'll go to Vancouver."

His eyes lit up happily that moment, having her realize saying this distracted him from thinking she wasn't alright. "Really?"

"Sure, why not?" She shrugged her shoulders casually, "Never been to Canada."

This was of course a lie. Jude wasn't planning on staying long enough to reach December. She was now sitting there debating whether or not she was going to leave or stay. Thinking that if she left now, there was some hope that things would return back to normal; like Jude never impacted his life as greatly as she did.

Michael kissed her hand sweetly, taking her away from her thoughts. "I love you," He told her.

"Love you too Fox."

That was the trouble. She really loved him, which made her wonder if it was worth it to ruin the future he already has. By her continuing this relationship, she was giving him an entirely new timeline with god knows how many changes to it.

"God why am I making so many mistakes."

***

Michael was fast asleep in bed while Jude was wide-awake in time to see the sun rise. She looked down from her seat by the windowsill to see the steel plated time machine in his backyard. The bright orange reflected off the chrome visible from inside and she smiled at the growing patches of grass that formed from where it had once crashed.

She looked back down to Michael and back at her machine with a frown. She got up from her seated position and to the next room where she had kept everything she moved from Jenny's, changing out of her pjs and into some real clothes. Taking the bag with her, Jude opened the backyard door to have a slight breeze greet her. She threw the bag inside the small room and picked up her tools scattered still in the backyard.

Making her way back to Michael's room, seeing he hadn't stirred awake yet, and went over to kiss the top of his head. He smiled a bit and she finally left back into my capsule without a proper goodbye, knowing she'd regret her decision if she did.

Unaware of what had happened while he was still asleep, Michael woke up and rolled to his side to wrap his arm around Jude. Seeing she wasn't in bed, he looked to this confused. It was too early for her, having him wonder where she'd be anyways. "Jude?" He called out confused, seeing it was still dark downstairs.

Not being found anywhere else in the house, Michael only thought last to check the backyard. Opening the door to see the time machine was gone and a post-it replaced where it once stood. It was as if it had never been there at all, considering the machine had been there long enough to only seem like a bad gardening mishap had occurred.

Picking up the small note Jude had left for him, he read it to himself:

I'm sorry ~Jujube