This outtake mirrors the last part of chapter 30, "Bridge" of Firefly in Summer. Shan and Edward's conversation after Bella runs to the gift shop.

June 2004, Colorado

Dr. Shan asked a lot of questions. Edward supposed that was all part of being a scientist, being prepared, looking at things from every angle and all that.

"Is everything all right?" Tina asked, sweeping by grandly, her eyes missing nothing.

Edward grinned into his pancakes when the professor blushed. He looked over at Bella so Shan could have his moment. "Bacon?" he murmured, kissing her fingertips.

"Thank you," she smiled. He decided she still looked distracted though. What was spinning around in that head of hers?

"Let me explain in a different way," Shan continued, all business again.

"Sure." He looked back up, still holding onto Bella's fingers, hoping she didn't mind eating one-handed. Had he ever been such a sap before? That would be a big, fat No.

"Events will naturally fall into place, just as they were meant to be. Just because you've altered the trajectory of Bella's path doesn't mean that your Mrs. Cope will suddenly begin baking cakes instead of pies.

"Right, I get it," Edward laughed.

"I think I'll have to come to Summerside one of these days. I do love a good chess pie. Do you think she makes those?"

"Oh, I'm sure she'd be delighted."

"Excellent. And you mentioned your friend the football player."

"Emmett."

"Yes. His injury… how will this impact the rest of his life…"

"I guess," Edward said, growing despondent. "I never meant for that to happen, I never-"

"It's not your fault, Edward. His future is unwritten, all our futures are unwritten. It is in our moments of decision that our destinies are created. Your friend Emmett is creating his own destiny with his own unique decisions. Besides, fate has a way of filling in the gaps. The butterfly effect can be a little dramatic, to be honest. Just because you changed the lives of a few people doesn't necessarily mean the world is coming to an end."

"God, I hope not." He frowned at Bella, who was picking at something with strawberries with a blank look on her face. "But yeah… I understand what you're saying. Recalculating."

"Precisely. In all likelihood, this new history will be remarkably similar to the first one you experienced. You say you met Bella in Summerside in February 2008? I wouldn't be surprised if that's where you "meet" her again."

Edward's eyes flashed. "But I don't want to-"

"Dr Shan?" Bella interrupted, looking quite determined. She squeezed and molded her napkin, searching for just the right words. "Just… can you explain something to me? Edward's… body didn't time travel, right?" She turned to Edward. "You woke up in a body that was five years younger… it was your mind that traveled. Right? Edward?"

Edward's heart sank. "Right," he said grimly. He suddenly knew what she wanted, and he'd have given anything for it to work out like that. But she didn't understand. Hell, he hardly understood it. Frustration gnawed at his insides because he was going to have to break her heart explaining it as best he could.

"So if that's true, then when your mind goes forward in time, back to 2009, your younger self will be left behind." She smiled at him, pleased. "Don't you see? We can be together from the beginning. I know you said it wasn't our time—but we can make it our time, Edward. I'll go to Dartmouth with you… I don't know what kind of art program they have but—you know what? I don't even have to go into art. I can do whatever. I can wait tables to put myself through… I can-"

"Bella… Miss Swan, I'm afraid it won't work like that." Shan leaned across the table anxiously. His eyes darted to Edward. "Granted, Edward is the first legitimate case of time travel I've had the opportunity to study, but if my theory holds…"

"If your theory holds… what?" she asked softly

"If it all happens like I expect it to…"

"I won't remember you, Bella." Edward butted in, hating himself as the light in her eyes died. "I won't remember these days… with you. Anything at all. It'll be like… lost time. I won't remember you until the day I go back, five years from now."

Bella's eyes filled with tears.

He tried to pull her to him but she wouldn't come. "When I go back to 2009," he said softly, "it should be spontaneous for me. It'll be like falling asleep at night and waking in the morning." He sighed, kissing her fingers, the only part of her she'd let him have right now. "It will take five years for you to catch up."

"I have to go," she mumbled.

He was torn in half, watching her leave, holding himself halfway in and out of his chair like an idiot. He couldn't let their last day be colored with this. Well, it would, it was unavoidable, but he would distract her if he could.

"Unless you deliberately tell her to stay away, I think it's quite possible that you will cross paths before your five years is up." Shan pursed his lips at Edward, rubbing his chin. "You don't like the idea of not knowing her, I can see that. You'd like her to wait at least until after the day you travel back, yes? Somewhere around June 2009?"

"This is so fucked up, doc," he moaned, holding his head in his hands. "It feels so out of control. Yeah, I want her to wait. Because, what if…" he swallowed, hard. "What if I mess up somehow during the five years… I mean, anything could happen. I want to make sure everything's perfect before I bring her back into my life. Does that make sense?"

"What are you afraid of?" Shan asked honestly. "Inaction breeds fear and doubt. Let's list them out, see if we can solve some of them.

"Okay," he answered slowly. "I was… working in New York when my Uncle Peter died. New York was a mistake for me, I see that now. And I regret not even… I mean, I was so caught up with myself that I'd almost lost touch completely with my uncle when he died. It was a huge shock. I wish I had been there. I should have been there."

Shan listened, compassion warming his eyes. He stirred his coffee. "Yes, yes, all right, next?"

"Um…" Edward hesitated. He felt bewildered. "My friend Emmett. What if he mentions that night to me and I know nothing about it? He won't understand that. I won't remember meeting Rose and- and she's Bella's sister… what if I see them all again and I don't-"

"How many times did you see your friend Emmett after that… rather, this summer? You went back to school, correct?"

"Yeah. I did. We grew apart. It just sort of… happened."

"What makes you think that will change?"

"I guess it won't," Edward sighed, looking vaguely relieved.

"Next?" Shan asked with an amused look.

"Okay, I'm afraid I'll be involved with another girl during those years. What if Bella sees me like that? I don't—that can't happen."

"Were you involved with someone in New York when your uncle died?"

"No."

"What about when you came to Summerside?"

"No… well, there was Bella…"

"There's no reason to believe that you'll be married off out of the blue, unless you alter your future dramatically, causing yourself to meet new people. If you do that, then…" Shan shrugged," who knows?"

"You're not inspiring a lot of confidence, Doc," he sighed, glancing toward the doors where Bella had disappeared. "How exactly would I be able to alter my future so dramatically, anyway?"

"You could make a video of yourself explaining certain things," Shan explained. "You could write yourself a letter."

"How very Back to the Future," Edward said dryly. "But isn't that dangerous? That's dangerous, to—to have evidence, like a video, talking about future events, right?"

They paused to sip china cups of coffee, and Edward's eyes continuously roved toward the double doors. Surely she wouldn't leave. Where would she go?

"To be honest, Edward," Shan began, "I doubt very much that you'll be able to prevent the death of your uncle." He peered at him closely. "On the other hand, with proactive measures, you may be able to extend his life, be there with him, if that was a large regret of yours."

"So I'd write myself a letter… telling myself not to go to New York. Maybe telling myself to get Pete to the doctor." Edward spoke slowly, weighing his words. "I don't see how I'd believe any of that, Doc. There's no way."

"Edward, you have the unique opportunity of knowing how the next five years will unfold, world wide. You know if President Bush will be reelected in the fall, for example."

Edward looked stupefied then his face twisted momentarily. "Yeah, I guess I do know things." For a moment his eyes were far away.

"You've got to understand that the next five years will not change all that much unless you deliberately influence them. If you do nothing, then it's almost one hundred percent likely that you will finish with your degree, graduate, go on to New York, and come to Summerside when your uncle passes away."

"Bella won't be there," Edward said strongly. "She can't."

"Why? She was there before."

"I'll demand that she stay away. She can't be there on that day because I won't know to stop her."

"What day?" Shan prompted softly. "Stop her from what?"

Edward felt a sudden chill. "Valentine's Day 2009. The morning she died in the ocean. She can't be there, Dr. Shan," he insisted, as the blood drained from his face. "I know I changed things, but what if… what if she comes looking for me… what if she came back to Summerside because of me. That can't be her day. It can't. What if I haven't really changed anything at all?"

"She knows, Edward," Shan responded calmly, shaking his head. "You told me she knows how it happened. She'll be aware. If that is indeed her day, then it will happen another way. And again, I'm not sure you could do anything about it. I'm sorry, my friend."

"I should go," Edward mumbled, suddenly desperate to see her. "Thanks doc. You've given me a lot to think about."

They stood and shook hands.

"As have you, Edward. As have you."