Here is how it read:
Violet sat in the palace grounds tending to her violets as Petr stood stoically nearby. She was distressed with the looming danger of Manus and his army. In a moment of vulnerability, she turned to her guardian.
'Tell me," she asked Petr in a quivering whisper. 'Would you protect us from danger? Protect me?"
Petr tried to hide the concern on his face. He admired her but he had to stay professional. "Yes, of course."
She smiled. She walked up to him and stared deep down into the red velvet of his eyes. He stared back into the pool of purple unable to move. She stood up on her tiptoes and lightly kissed him on the cheek. Then walked away.
Petr could not move when she did that. He stood frozen in wonder at the way the kiss buzzed on his cheek. He realized then that he did not just admire her. He loved her.
Michael reread the scene again and again. It both fascinated and creeped him out at the same time. The scene was fantastic because it just heightened the memory of the moment he had experienced with Rose. But at the same time he couldn't help but wonder. Was it coincidence that the exact same thing had happened with him? It had to be.
He smiled.
Maybe this signifies that it was meant to be.
***
April 22, 2032
Joey took another punch to the face and blood splattered to his side. It dripped down from the edge of his mouth as well as through a cut in his lip. There were bruises covering his face and one of his blackened eyes was swollen. He still hadn't said a word to his interrogator. He was made for situations like this.
Blood also dripped from his interrogator's fists which had begun to bleed themselves. Billy the Kid brought his face in front of Joey and looked him dead in the eye. Joey looked back without any fear.
"This is the last time I'm gonna ask nicely before I end up doing something to your friends back there," he said. "So, tell me, what were you doing with a respawner in your car?"
Joey did not say anything.
Billy sighed. "I know who he is and I know what he can do, Joey. So please, drop it with the silent treatment or I'll be forced to do something that you'll regret."
"If you even so much as lift a finger on her…"
"Or what?" demanded Billy. "You'll kill me? You can't do that. You know that very well. Now tell me, or I'm going to start asking the kids. You're making me angry, Joey, and I'll let it out on them…"
Joey didn't say anything as he was rapt in thought and considering all the possibilities. He would rather die than tell Billy any information about Michael. It wasn't because he cared about him (he couldn't give a shit about him). It was because the boy was a weapon, the most powerful weapon in the world, and if he fell into the wrong hands then there would be trouble.
But he had to protect Elena. He had made that promise onto himself from the day she had been born. He didn't know why but he felt so connected to her. She could be a pain in the ass most of the time, sure, but he still loved her. There was no way he was going to let her get hurt over information about Michael. The boy would have to fend for himself.
He let out a sigh and the respawner smiled knowing the Ranger had given in. He sat in a chair in front of Joey and eagerly awaited the tale he was about to hear.