Clover's POV:
I woke up to the sound of a couple crows squawking outside of my bedroom window. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, the events of yesterday started flooding back to me. 'I wonder if Will is gonna tell me what he is today, or if he disappeared during the night.' I thought inside of my head. After I stretched, I got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When I was dressed and looked half way decent, I walked out into the kitchen to find Will cooking breakfast. "Good morning." I said as I walked up to him. "Good morning." He replied as he handed me a fresh cup of coffee. "Thanks." I said with a smile as I took the cup from him. We stood there in silence for a while, but I didn't mind. It gave me time to look out of the window and notice the gray clouds that covered the sky. 'It's probably gonna rain again today.' I thought inside of my head as I took a couple sips of my coffee. "So, how did you sleep last night?" I asked him curiously, remembering that he chose to sleep on the couch. "Alright, I guess. How did you sleep?" He asked me as he finished cooking the food. "Okay." I replied. I helped him set the table; we didn't have to make a spot for Oliver, because I knew he was already at work. We made small talk as we ate, and he made the best waffles I've ever eaten in my life. "These are amazing." I said, referring to the food we were eating. "Thanks." He replied with a slight laugh and a smile. After we finished eating I helped him wash the dishes and clean up a bit before we went into the living room. I turned on the tv to watch the news, but I kept the volume low. "I... I guess I should tell you what I am now that we're all alone." He said, catching my attention. He told me about what he use to do for a living, and I was amazed at how smart he is. I knew I wouldn't be able to do all of things he had done in his lifetime. Then he told me the heartbreaking story of him dying slowly as his wife and friends uploaded his conscious into a computer. "But... after a few years people started realizing what Evelyn and I were up to. They got scared and they scared her into turning against me. They didn't believe that it was really me until too late... until I was finally able to make myself whole again." He said as tears filled his beautiful eyes. "What happened next?" I asked curiously. I felt horrible for him; I could feel tears welling up my eyes too, but I wanted to know what happened. I had to know. "She got injured, and... when I tried to save her.... I didn't know that she had injected herself with a virus. As soon as I uploaded her to me... I started fading." He said as he wiped his eyes. "I don't blame them though. That kind of rapid technological growth just terrified them into a frenzy. But the horrible part is that... is that... Evelyn and I... we... we both ended up dying together.... I couldn't save her." He managed to get the last words out before he broke down. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he slipped his arms around my torso. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I held him close and attempted at comforting him. His head was buried in the crook of my neck and his tears soaked my shirt, but I didn't really care. He needed someone to hold him and make him feel like he isn't alone. "Shhh, it's okay." I said softly as I rubbed his back and played with his soft dark hair. I finally understood now why he asked me if I had seen a woman yesterday. He was looking for his wife. I guess he figured if he could come back then she should have too. "It's okay. You're not alone, I've got you." I said in a soft whisper as I continued to hold him. After what felt like forever, he slowly broke the hug. I gently wiped the tears away from his face and handed him a box of tissues. "I'm sorry." He said in a broken voice. "Why?" I asked with furrowed brows. "For making you cry too." He whispered softly as he wiped my tears away as well. "It's okay." I said softly as I placed a hand over his. After we both calmed down a bit, I made us each a hot cup of tea to settle our nerves. He rested his head on my shoulder as we watched a little bit of tv, which was nice. We stayed like that for a while before I suggested that we go for a little walk. He agreed, and I put on a jacket just in case it was gonna rain. We headed out and locked up the apartment before we left. At first we just took a nice stroll through the park before I suggested that we get him some new clothes. He was wearing the same ones he had on yesterday after all. We went to the closest clothing store and started looking around. He picked out some stuff and I picked out some stuff for him. "What do you think of this?" He asked me as he walked out in a new outfit. He was wearing a pain black v neck t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. It was simple, but he looked so good in it. "You look good. But hurry back into the changing room before I have to beat women off of you with a clothing rack." I said, and he chuckled. It was the most beautiful sound I ever heard, and I hoped that I had the privilege of hearing it more often. "You're so adorable." He said as he gently tapped my nose with his pointer finger. He turned around just in time, because I didn't want him to see the blush that spread across my face. My heart skipped a beat and melted at the same time. I didn't even think that was possible. 'Stop, Clover. He's married. Besides... he wouldn't fall in love with a girl like you anyway. You're not smart or pretty enough for him.' I thought inside of my head. My thoughts made me feel sad and worthless, but it was true. He ended up getting a few outfits and I paid for them. I was just glad that I had money saved up from the last job I had. If I hadn't put anything back I wouldn't have had anything when they laid me off. We walked back to the apartment and I made us some lunch. Now it was his turn to ask me questions. I told him about my brief college experience and how that was where I met Derek. Everything started out fine, but then he started to change. I told him how I was working at a random Amazon fulfilment facility before they laid me off, and the rest he basically knew. "What do you really wanna do with your life though? What's your passion? Your dream?" He asked me curiously. "My dream is to create I guess. I love art, writing, and anything artsy really." I replied. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "Now that I'm in your life I'm gonna help you make your dreams come true, Clover. Life is too short to just sit idly by and let them slip away. Trust me, I know." He said, and his words made me feel emotional. "Thank you." I said after a moment of silence. "For what?" He asked me curiously. "For being here with me." I replied, and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around me. We ended up watching a couple of movies before Oliver came home around three o'clock. I suggested going and collecting my things from Derek's apartment. And they seemed game for it as long as we picked up some pizza for dinner. Before I knew it we pulled up to my old home. It was like looking back at a chapter you just read. You know what happened, and a part of you was tempted to go back but you knew you had to move forward. If you didn't you might never get to the end of the book. "Okay, but you aren't going in there alone. I'll go with you, especially since I scared the hell out of him yesterday." Will said, and I laughed slightly as I remembered Derek's reaction. "Holy shit, what did you do?" Oliver asked him curiously. "Threatened him with a shovel." Will replied, and Oliver laughed. Will and I got out of the car, and Oliver said he'd help us load everything into the vehicle. I walked up the stairs that lead to apartment 209, and unlocked the door like many times before. This time was different though; this time I was never coming back. We walked inside and I closed the door behind me. To my surprise, Derek wasn't home. I was actually relived that he wasn't there though. Will followed me to the bedroom and helped me pack my stuff up. I didn't have much, especially since Derek always bitched and complained about me having too much stuff when we first moved in together. "Wow. You really are a great artist." Will said as he flipped through one of my old sketchbooks. "Thanks." I replied with a smile. Once we were finished we carried everything out to the car, and that's when Derek's friend's van pulled up. "What the fuck are you doing now!?! Stealing my stuff!?!" Derek said as he got out of his friend's car. "No, I'm picking up my stuff." I replied, feeling angry. I wasn't afraid of him anymore, and it felt great. But it might have been due to the fact that I had Oliver and Will there to protect me. "Yeah, right." Derek replied as his friends took off down the street. Apparently even his friends weren't willing to back him up. It was actually sad in a way. He looked as he was gonna come up and slap me, but Will stepped beside of me. Derek shrank back a little. "I think you should go inside." Oliver said as he closed the trunk and joined me on my other side. "Or what will you do, string bean?" Derek replied, making fun of Oliver's higher. "Or you'll have to deal with me. Trust me... you don't want me on your bad side." Will replied with a dark look in his eyes. Derek's eyes filled with fear, but I could tell he was trying to hide it. "Whatever." He said before he walked off towards his apartment. "Fuckin' dickbag." Oliver muttered under his breath, but Will and I still heard him. We laughed slightly as we all got back into the car. After we picked up a couple of pizzas we went back to the house and carried my stuff into the apartment. I decided to start unpacking my stuff later, because I was absolutely starving. We sat at the small round table in the kitchen and ate the pizza we had bought. Oliver and Will asked each other questions; it was nice seeing them two getting to know each other. I really hoped that all there of us could become good friends, and I had a feeling that we would. When we finished eating Will offered to help me unpack and I told he didn't have to, because he was kind enough to help me pack earlier. "I wanna help you, though." He said with a sweet look in his eyes that I couldn't say no to. He joined me in my room and we started putting my stuff away. By the time we finished it was nine o'clock, and I could hear that Oliver was watching a new episode of Supernatural. I never really got into that show, but I guess people like different things. "When did you start drawing?" Will asked me curiously, taking me out of my thoughts. "As long as I can remember, actually." I replied as I glanced over at him. He was looking through one of my newer sketchbooks. I moved over to where he was sitting and looked at the pictures with him. It's always nice looking at my previous drawings; it lets me know how much my skills have improved and they brought back memories. Every single piece of art is like a memory to me, and I'm sure a lot of artist feel that way about their artwork as well. "You're really gifted. You need to get your name out there. You might even become the next Picasso or Van Gogh or Salvador Dali." He said, which made me smile. "Thanks. I'm glad you think I can be as famous as my favorite artist." I said, happily. "I'm serious. Your artwork is amazing, Clover." He said with a small smile on his handsome face. I laid my head on his shoulder as we looked through my various drawings. He asked me questions about them every once in a while. It felt good being able to talk about my passion, especially since my ex boyfriend hated me talking about art. 'You don't have to worry about him now.' I said inside of my head. Will got a paper cut as he turned one of the pages, and to my surprise he healed instantly. "Wow. You... you can heal yourself?" I said in a whisper. "Yeah. I could heal you if I had to," He replied with a warm look in his eyes. "But, I fear that I'm too weak to heal anyone or anything besides myself now. I don't have as much power like I use to." He said as he turned his attention back to the sketchbook. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, and the whole time my brain was working overtime. "You get your power from technology, right?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Yeah, but I'm not able to connect to any servers without being detected. I don't want a repeat of last time. I don't want anything bad to happen to you and Oliver." He said, and my heart warmed. What I did next, I had no control over. I softly kissed his cheek, and it seemed to take him by surprise. "You're so sweet, Will." I said with a small smile. "You're sweet too, Clover. Anyone else would have ran away from me in terror. Anyone else would have thought I was some kind of monster, but you didn't." He said softly as we looked into each other's eyes. "What can I say? I've always been fascinated by the strange and unusual." I replied, and he laughed lightly. "Well... you certainly found the right person to become friends with, then." He said sweetly before he gently kissed my forehead. I smiled and laughed a little. After we finished looking at my drawings, we walked out into the living room and found Oliver sleeping on the couch. He fell asleep watching tv, and I found it amusing. 'He must have had a long day at work.' I thought inside of my head. Will switched off the tv while I gently woke him up. "Shit. What time is it?" Oliver asked, taking in a sharp inhale of breath as he yawned. "It's going on ten o'clock." Will replied. He decided he should go to bed, and we agreed. After I took a nice and relaxing bath, I put my pajamas on and stepped out to see Will one last time before calling it a night. He was wearing the pajamas he had on last night, and I still couldn't get over how cute he looked in them. "Hey, I just came to say goodnight." I said once he spotted me. "Come here." He said with a smile on his face. We wrapped our arms around each other and I snuggled into his chest. There was just something about him that just made me feel at home, and hoped that I could keep him in my life forever. "Goodnight, sweetheart." He said inside of my ear softly. My heart melted and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "Goodnight, Will." I replied as we slowly broke the hug. I walked back to my room, but I could feel his eyes on me the entire time. As I climbed into bed I wondered if there was a way I could bring his wife back. All I really want is for him to be happy; he seemed happy now, but I knew he'd eventually start missing her. I slowly fell into a deep sleep as my thoughts faded away into nothingness. Sunflowers... yellow sunflowers with droplets of rain shimmering on their petals. The piece of paper laying in the puddle, half looking crumbled... the other half looking new. I jolted awake with those images popping up in my mind. I looked over at my alarm clock and found that it was seven thirty in the morning. I decided to just get up and get ready for the day. There was no way I'd be able to go back to sleep. My dream wasn't scary, but it just spooked me a little. I put on a pair of black ripped jeans, a Sherlock t-shirt, my gray colored converse, and my gray and burgundy zip up hoodie. When I walked out into the living room my heart melted at the sight I saw. Will was snuggled up in the blanket he had, and he was snoring softly. "Hey, what are you doing up so early?" Oliver asked me in a whisper as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "I couldn't sleep." I replied in a whisper as well. I joined him in the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee and he made us some toast. "I um... I was wondering if you could take me somewhere on your way to work." I said after the toast popped up in the toaster. "Sure, where do you need to go?" He asked me curiously as he and I ate our light breakfast. "It's a little complicated. I'll explain on the way." I replied. After we finished eating, I wrote a little note for Will to find when he woke up. I didn't want him to think we had abandoned him. Then I sent my uncle a message to ask if it was alright if I showed up at his office today.
Me: Hey, I was wondering if I could come and visit you today.
Victor: That would be amazing, Clover! I haven't seen you in what feels like forever. What time did you have in mind?
Me: Probably around one o'clock. Is that okay with you?
Victor: Yeah, that's perfect. I can't wait to see my favorite niece! <3
Me: Aww. <3 Great, I'll see you then.
I went into my room and put a few things in my backpack; the same backpack I used to get away from Derek. Oliver locked up the apartment behind us before we got into his car and left. "Wait, why do you wanna go to some abandoned house?" Oliver asked me curiously with furrowed brows. His green eyes were full of concern and worry. "It's something I'm working on. Don't worry about it." I said as I opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Okay, I'm trusting you on this, Clover. But if anything bad happens or whatever, just call or text me." He said, and I agreed. I shut the passenger door and we said our goodbyes before he headed to work. I stood there and watched him disappear down the street before I walked into the abandoned house. The same house where I met Will... we're Will saved me from my insane ex boyfriend. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I walked through the front door. The placed looked as if someone just got up and left. Things you would have packed still remained; they were dusty and covered in thick cobwebs. After I looked around a bit, I headed out to the back yard. Memories of the other day started flooding back to me, and it was a little overwhelming. 'Come on, Clover. Focus! You came here for a reason, don't get sidetracked.' I said inside of my head. When I reached the bright yellow sunflowers, I crouched and keeled down on one knee. I slipped my backpack off and sat it down on the ground in front of me. Then I unzipped one of the small pockets to retrieve a small vial. I had purchased a bunch of vials for a Halloween craft, but they had a different purpose I guess. After I uncorked the vial, I collected some of the rainwater that had collected in the same puddle I plunged my hand into the other day. Once I got a good amount I put the cork back in and gently placed it into a Ziploc sandwich bag. I didn't wanna risk the glass breaking and getting everything wet. I labeled the bag as sunflower water. Then I filled another vial with rainwater from another part of the yard; I bagged and labeled it as well and so on. By the time I was finished, I had a total of four water samples. I checked the time and figured I should text one of my friends and ask if they could give me a ride to the college.
Me: Hey, could you give me a ride to the college?
Jessica: Sure, where are you?
Me: Just meet me at Freddy's Diner.
Jessica: Okay, see you in a little while. :)
Me: See ya. :)
I was halfway to the diner anyway, and I didn't want her to pick me up at some abandoned house. Jessica isn't like Oliver; she would have asked five billion questions, and none of them I could answer. When I reached the diner I sat down on a bench that was sitting near the main entrance. I didn't wanna go inside and have the morning customers staring at me. While I was waiting I pulled out the current book I was reading. I figured I could finish it in the time I was waiting on Jessica to come and get me. As soon as she pulled into the parking lot I read the last word in the last chapter. I felt pretty proud of myself for being able to finish the book, especially since I've been reading it for about three months. In my defense, it was a pretty thick book. I got up off of the bench and walked up to her maroon colored Subaru outback. "Hey girly, come on in. The door is unlocked." She said with a smile on her face. I smiled and laughed a little as I opened the passenger side door. Her auburn hair seemed to glow in the golden sunlight; it made her look more beautiful than she already was. "So, how has my favorite person in the who world been?" She asked me curiously as she pulled out of the parking lot. "I've been great, actually. I broke up with Derek by the way." I replied, and she beamed. "That's wonderful!! Derek was a horrible person anyway. Do you have a place to stay?" She said as we headed towards the college. "Yeah, I've been staying with Oliver these past couple of days." I replied with a smile. We made small talk during the entire ride, and it was good to talk to her, especially since we haven't really talked in a while. She's always really busy with her three jobs. Sometimes I hardly know how she manages to live and work that much, but I guess she has a routine down. I certainly know that I wouldn't be able to do that. When we reached the college we said our goodbyes and I made a mental note to a arrange a little hangout with all of my friends. At least we'd be able to actually have some kind of gathering now that Derek was out of the picture. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind as I walked through the front doors of the college. The good thing about college, is that no one questions your presence. As long as you blend in you're fine, and I definitely fit the part. Especially since I went here for two years before I dropped out. I went straight to the library and looked through the science section. I probably could have went to the local library, but I knew that the college would have more books that we're written by local scientists and professors. I picked out a couple books on artificial intelligence and walked over to a computer. I spent a few hours just reading books and online articles about A.I. But when I searched for Dr. Will Caster, nothing showed up about the incident of twenty fourteen. It was like someone erased the whole thing from all records, and maybe that was a good thing. If no one remembered it, then maybe he could get by with existing in a world that thinks he's deceased. I pored over more text until my stomach interrupted my train of thought. It growled loudly, and I flushed in embarrassment. I desperately hoped that nobody heard my stomach's screams for food. I closed up the books I was reading and then logged out of the computer. Once I put all of the books back I walked out of the library and went to the cafeteria. I ordered some food and paid for it. As I waited on my number to be called, I wondered what Will was up to. Deep down I felt bad for leaving him home alone, but I didn't want him to know what I was doing. 'He probably already knows, Clover. He was once the smartest thing on earth.' I said inside of my head. My number was called, and it took me out of my thoughts. As soon as I got my food, I started digging in. That toast I had for breakfast just didn't last. When I finished eating, I checked the time and figured I should start heading to my uncle Victor's office. He's a highly admired and intelligent science teacher here, and I was grateful that I had some scientists gens in my blood. I walked up to his office door a few minutes later and knocked on it. "Come in." I heard his voice say on the other side of the door. I grabbed the doorknob and opened it to find him sitting at his desk. "Hey, there you are. Right on time like always. Have a seat." He said with a smile on his face. I actually had a couple of his classes during the time I was enrolled as a student. His gray eyes sparkled with delight, and it made me smile. I took a seat and knew we'd have to go through the motions of small talk before it got down to why I was really here. I didn't mind though. We talked about life and what we were both up to recently. "Did you have lunch yet?" He asked me curiously. "Yeah, I did. Thanks." I replied and he smiled. "So, what are you really here for? I know you didn't just come to talk." He said after a moment of silence. "I need to use your science lab," I replied with a sigh. "But I did enjoy talking to you." I said. He furrowed his brows before he stood up and lead me to the science lab he always uses. "A class will be coming in at two thirty, so make sure everything is cleaned before that time." He said as he unlocked the door. I promised that I'd have everything cleaned and put away before the class came in to use the lab. He helped me set up a microscope and get the tools I asked him for. "What are you up to anyway?" He asked curiously. I retrieved the water samples from my backpack and he seemed impressed slightly. "It's just a little side project I'm working on." I replied. He told me if I needed any help to just send him a text message, and I said I would. Once he left the room I got started with my work. All of the samples seemed normal... all of them except for one. The sample that was differed was the one I collected by the sunflowers. The molecular structure was different from the rest, and it seemed as if it was multiplying as I was looking at it. "It's like it's human." I whispered softly under my breath. One thing seemed to bother me after Will told me his past was, how was he able to come back? If all that was left of him was focused into those sunflowers and the water surrounding them... how could he become a solid functioning human being? There must have been some kind of charge that made it possible, but how? An image popped up in my head, and it looked like a movie being shown through a projector. It was of my hand plunging into that puddle and the icy cold feeling that followed. That's when it hit me, and it hit like a brick wall. 'He used my DNA to come back.' I said inside of my head. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and a chill ran down my spine. 'Does that mean that I'm part of him? Or maybe he's part of me? Or... both?' I thought inside of my head. My brain was going a million miles a minute. I had so many questions floating around in my head I thought it was gonna explode. Someone has to know something about this sort of stuff, but I wasn't sure who to ask. A.I. isn't my uncle's field. I had no other option.... I had to ask Will and hope he wouldn't get upset with me. 'God help me.' I thought inside of my head as I began cleaning up.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
A/N: Thanks for reading!! Remember to vote, comment, share, etc. :) <3