Seven Months Later

S he'd been delaying this for two reasons. The first one was that she was a scientist, and she wanted to know and understand. She loved solving mysteries, and this thing was the biggest mystery she'd never solve. The second reason was that while she knew she'd made the right decision, she still didn't trust herself fully. She'd made so many mistakes, and they'd led her down the path that made her unhappy. She'd kept the device because she'd been worried that she might need it again.

Yet, the main reason she was getting rid of it now was that she didn't want the crutch. It wasn't fair to the people in her life that she'd had this thing lying around, and she could just have it turned on at any point to help her make decisions. Of course, she still didn't know if that was how it worked. She'd only pressed the button twice, and both of those times, it had been about Felicity Saunders. She hadn't asked it to tell her what kind of cereal to have for breakfast or if there would be traffic on the way to the university and how to avoid it. To Rosie, this thing was more magic than science, more paranormal than normal, and it was time that she let it go.

She'd thought about dropping it back in the ocean, but she wasn't sure if she wanted anyone else to discover it. Yes, it had been helpful for her, but having this thing in the wrong hands could be deadly. What if some warlord or dictator found it and used it to help them make decisions that ended up in thousands or even millions of people getting oppressed or killed?

She could keep it, she supposed. That way, she'd know for sure that no one dangerous would be using it while she was still alive. But she might be tempted to use it herself, and she didn't want that, either. Destroying it was an option as well, but something inside told her not to do that. She didn't know what this thing was made of, or how it worked, and she knew enough about science to understand that it had to run on some kind of power that she knew nothing about. That power meant energy, and energy always had a chance of being explosive or worse.

So, Rosie decided to bury it. It was the simplest of solutions, and it had worked out that she was going to sell her house, but before doing so, she was putting in a pool. The neighborhood was filled with them. In fact, when she'd first tried to list the house four months ago, she hadn't gotten an offer on it because houses with pools were selling instead. Both parents and kids wanted a pool in their backyard, so she'd decided to put one in and relist the house when the work was complete. Fiscally, it probably hadn't been the smartest decision she'd ever made – adding a pool wasn't going to get her much more in the offer – but it would at least get her an offer. Then, she would be out of this house and would be able to move where she really wanted to be.

The pool had also been a strategic decision for her because when the workers had shown up and dug the hole where the pool would go, Rosie had waited until they left for the day and had taken a shovel to the packed dirt on the bottom. She had dropped the case into the ground several feet below that and buried it where no one would ever find it.

It was several days later now, and she watched the dirt get covered with concrete, Rosie breathed a sigh of relief. It was time that she made the phone call.

"Hey," Felicity said softly.

"Hi," she replied with a smile because she hadn't heard that voice since the night in her office.

"This is going well," Felicity said with a laugh.

"You answered, so, yeah, it is ."

"I was always going to answer, Rosie."

"You were?"

"Of course, I was. No matter what happens with us, you were always a friend more than just a mentor to me. Yes, there was more to it than friendship for me, but I'll always answer when you call."

"Is there still?"

"Still what?"

"More to it than friendship?" she asked as she sat on her sofa.

"I'd say yes, definitely. But I also don't know that we really know each other all that well anymore. It's been close to five years. Things change, you know?"

"So, it's a cautious yes?" Rosie pressed.

"What's the question again?" the woman asked with a little laugh.

"Will you go out with me, Felicity?"

"Oh," Felicity let out. "Um… Ami?"

"Fastest divorce in the history of divorces," she replied. "Finalized three months ago. We didn't have any joint assets, really, so it was pretty easy from that perspective. The house is about to go on the market."

"You're selling it?"

"Yes. I want a fresh start. She lived here, and if I move in with someone again, I don't want it to be here. Besides, you're there ."

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked.

"I told you that my home base can be anywhere. I quit the university."

"I heard that you went on a few trips this summer, but honestly, I was also trying not to pay attention to the things I heard about you because I was worried that I'd accidentally hear that you and Ami were still together."

"Ami moved out long before the divorce was finalized. It was all amicable and swift because we wanted it to be done. I haven't seen her since the day we signed the papers. I went on a few shorter trips, yes, but other than that, I've been here trying to pack and sort out the rest of my life. I'm writing a book, too, so there's that."

"On Titan ?" Felicity asked.

"How did you–"

"It was one of your biggest discoveries."

"Yeah. And I have a publisher for it, so I was thinking of maybe renting a little cottage or something on the water, or near the water, at least, and finishing up the draft I owe them while I see if you and I could maybe finally… try this."

"Try this?" Felicity asked, laughing a little. "You're really cute when you're asking me out on a date, you know?"

"Does that cuteness get me anything?" Rosie asked.

"You'll find out when you pick me up for our date, I guess."