Chapter 24: A New Love

            It’s now the year 2006 and the day is January 10. The two of them never spoke since New Year’s Eve. New Horizon Architecture has a plan to build a new house for a family who lost their house during New Year’s. They designed a new house with eco-friendly features. They had a meeting on the design and took 2 days for them to agree. So they started the 3D modelling. After work, Chris and Alicia still didn’t talk to each other. When they arrived, Alicia broke the silence.

            “Ok, why aren’t we talking to each other?” asked Alicia.

            “You never dared to ask or talk to me” said Chris.

            “So why don’t you break the ice?” asked Alicia.

            Chris just fell silent. He doesn’t want to talk about it.

            “Is it something about New Year?” asked Alicia.

            “No it’s not” said Chris.

            “Oh really?” asked Alicia. “Cuz for what I know, that’s when we started to not talk to each other”.

            Chris started to leave the room till Alicia blocked his way.

            “Wait!” said Alicia.

            She went to her room and came out with the bouquet of flowers what was supposed to be given to her on New Year’s Eve.

            “Do you remember this?” asked Alicia.

            Chris didn’t respond. He was still upset.

            “Answer me!” she cried.

            “Yes!” said Chris. “And where did you even get that?!”

            “I found it in the park! Back in New Year’s Eve!” said Alicia. “And I know they were from you! It has my name on it and it was on the spot before you left! Why did you leave?”.

            “I left because you we’re with your ex!” yelled Chris. “I wanted to give you these on New Year but the sight of seeing you with Mikey was telling me that you’ve worked things out and I was too late”.

            “If me and Mikey worked things out, I would have moved out! But I haven’t!” said Alicia. “Besides, I was over him a month after he broke up with me”.

            “And why’s that?” asked Chris.

            Alicia went close to him and kissed him. When it ended, she hugged him.

            “You really don’t know” said Alicia. “Because I was in love with you!”

            “Wha…” said Chris.

            “You took me in when I was in need of help! If it wasn’t for you, I would not have a job. Back in the New Year’s Eve Party, I wore that dress you gave me. The long silver one. It was beautiful” said Alicia. “I know you have feelings for me too!”

            Chris fell silent. He was speechless. He has no words. He has no idea how to react. It never happened to him because he was known as a nerd and a geek. No one fell for him so he gave up on love till Alicia.

            “Please…. Please say you do” said Alicia as she cried.

            “I do love you” said Chris. “Since the day you started in Club Penguin. I tried to go to you but you’d seem busy or I was shy. It was no hope of me going to you anyway, knowingly that I’m a nerd or a geek since Middle School. The good thing was, I wasn’t bullied. I never thought that you would love me back”.

            He stopped hugging her and kissed her back.

            “You were never a nerd or a geek to me” said Alicia. “For what I know, for what I see, you’re like the Doctor in Doctor Who. Someone smart yet mysterious but will let people in”.

            Suddenly, he got a headache. He started to faint on the ground. It was Gary, he’s getting stronger. He’s really fighting it. Then it stop and he woke up. He can see Alicia doing CPR and when he woke up, she hugged him.

            “Never scare me again!” she said.

            The two dated for a long while. They met each other’s parents and was approved. People in New Horizon Architecture knows their new social status. They managed to finish with the designs of the house and was built within one month. The family thanked them and Chris noticed something about their son. It reminded him on what G remembers. It was Trevor’s grandfather… or maybe father. There was little resemblance.

           4 years later, Chris brought Alicia to the park. He finally mastered his guitar and wrote a song for her. He proposed to her. She said ‘yes’. Then came the wedding day. They did the vows and when the wedding ended. They held hands and kissed. And what occurred, the ring flashed and he and Alicia were affected. When they stopped, they both got a headache and suddenly, they remembered who they really are, Aunt Artic and Gary the Gadget Guy. When they went back to their hotel room after the reception, Aunt Artic and Gary took over. They both fainted and every piece of memory returned. Then came when they woke up, they’re just started to become confused and conscious.

            “Chris, what just happened?” asked Alicia.

            “Who’s Chris?” asked Chris. “Do you mean me?”

            Alicia became shocked. Chris has forgotten who he is.

            “Who are you?” asked Alicia.

            “I’m Gary” said Chris.

            “Ga…ry?” asked Alicia. That’s when it hit her. Aunt Artic finally took over.

            Gary crawled to her and held her hand softly.

            “Tell me, who are you?” asked Gary. “Are you Alicia Artica or Aunt Artic?”

            “I’m… Alicia” said Allison. “Alicia Artic”

            Gary was shocked to hear what she said. Aunt Artic is back.

            “I’m Aunt Artic!” said Aunt Artic. “G, where are we?”

            Gary and Aunt Artic stood up and looked around. They looked through the memories of their alternate selves and now recognize where they were.

            “G, we’re in a hotel room!” said Aunt Artic. “We got married!”.

            “We didn’t” said Gary. “Only our alternate selves which ironically, we’re human”.

            “How do we get back?” asked Aunt Artic. “And more likely, how did we get back”.

            “Simple, I survived the Time Crash” said Gary. “I managed to survive for a while then I was sent to my alternate self!”

            “Since you survived, how was everyone else?” asked Aunt Artic.

            “For what I know, if I didn’t came, you would become a librarian in Allie’s school. Allie gets bullied and Rockhopper is an information penguin that gives facts about penguins” said Gary. “And Lane…”

            “I know, he gets arrested no matter what unless we do something!” said Aunt Artic.

            “We need to change clothes!” said Gary. “We’re going to the roof of this building!”

            The two changed and they went to the roof. They saw the night sky.

            “Why are we here?” asked Aunt Artic.

            “First of all…” said Gary.

            Gary kissed Aunt Artic on the lip then he stopped. Aunt Artic was shocked.

            “Second, we wait!” said Gary.

            “Why did you…?” asked Aunt Artic.

            Gary hushed her then the Northern Lights came. It was the cracks of Space and Time, just like when they first saw them.

            “For what I remembered, since I kissed you in the alternate form, the northern lights arrive. I once took over for a while and discovered they were cracks of Time and Space, wanting us out” said Gary. “And a weird fact, my alternate loves watching Doctor Who even if it just started last year”.

            “Now what, the Northern Lights are here” asked Aunt Artic. “What do we do”.

            “Simple” said Gary.

            He walked to the center and started to yell.

            “Hey, the Ducktor! It’s me again! The guy who yelled at you in a different part of time and Space! If you want to fix everything, you may need me!” yelled Gary.

            Aunt Artic is confused but then, someone replied. But unfortunately, she wasn’t strong enough to take over, letting Alicia back. She fainted.

            “Who are you?” asked the voice.

            “I’m Gary the Gadget Guy!” said Gary.

            Back in the Dimensional Controller, the Ducktor remembered that name.

            “Gary?” he said.

            Suddenly, a beam of light struck Chris’s body and took Gary’s consciousness, leaving the real Chris behind.