Part One – We Meet Craig
Craig Owens had an alien for a roommate. If you think that is amazing just wait; you haven’t heard the whole story yet. This alien has a time machine and can travel back and forth into the future and the past. And if you think that is amazing there’s even more! This alien is repeatedly saving the universe, Earth included and Craig actually got to help him; not once but twice!
This alien, known to us as The Doctor, not only saved the Earth but he also boosted Craig’s confidence and gave him the push he needed to tell his girlfriend Sophie he loved her more than anything. Thanks to the Doctor bringing them together they now a have a happy life together with their son Alfie.
The Doctor still visits now and then landing his time machine, called the TARDIS, in their backyard. He shows up for Alfie’s birthday, the World Cup finals and any occasion upon which the future of mankind is in danger. Craig and family have gone for trips on the TARDIS to exotic faraway places and times with the Doctor and his companions.
Craig’s life has improved in many ways since meeting the Doctor and it’s about to get even better. The Doctor is visiting again but this time it is to attend a meeting of UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) which is the organization dedicated to protecting the Earth from extraterrestrial threats. The TARDIS is going to be parked in Craig's backyard for several days. This is going to give Craig the opportunity to resolve an issue that has been bothering him for many years.
While travelling with the Doctor Craig has been quietly observing the operation of the TARDIS. He now feels confident that he can accomplish a simple jump in time. The TARDIS doesn’t have to physically move; it just needs to go backwards nineteen years.
Part Two – We Meet Amber
Amber is eighteen, beautiful, popular and broke. The tall slender redhead is very appealing with blue eyes, a small freckled nose, a dimpled chin and a pretty smile. Her long hair tumbles down over her shoulders. She dresses in the latest styles. She has it all; except for money.
Her parents both work hard to provide for Amber and her three siblings but the budget is tight; after purchasing the necessities there is little left for extravagances. This means that it is up to Amber to finance her own social life.
As smart as she is attractive Amber has it worked out. She arranges her socializing around very second weekend; the ones in between she babysits. She has a small select group of regular customers. She has carefully weeded out the trouble makers and chosen clients with well-behaved children.
She has also done a good job of marketing herself. Her natural charm and ability to effectively communicate has allowed her to convince her customers of her worth for more than just coverage on an evening out. She has made herself available at all hours allowing tired mothers to do the groceries without dragging children along, allowing parents to get away for an afternoon matinee at the cinema or any other activity during the day that is best suited to adults only.
By juggling her schedule Amber can get as many as three jobs on a single Saturday maximizing her I income. This Saturday is one of those days. The morning is at the Tennant home while they are shopping for a new car. The afternoon is over a few streets to the Smith home to allow them to attend a concert in the park. Then in the evening it’s on to the Owens home while they are guests at a wedding reception.
At each of the homes the kids are pleasant. In particular Amber was looking forward to Craig Owens who is a shy thirteen year old boy who keeps to himself. He stays in his room which gives her time to do her homework.
Part Three – Craig Meets Amber
Having the use of a time machine was the solution to something that had been nagging at Craig for nineteen years. When he was a teenager he missed out on many of the things that boys of that age do because of his shyness. One of those things sounded strange to him but he soon learned from listening to the schoolyard bragging that it was much more common than he suspected it could be. A surprising number of his friends had tied up their babysitters.
It seemed that it was a rite of passage for adolescents to at some point bind and gag their caregiver. Craig couldn’t imagine doing it. Not only did he not have the nerve but his regular babysitter was Olga, a large, no-nonsense woman who was more than capable of defending herself from any assault that Craig might attempt. Craig put the idea out of his mind; until he met Amber.
Saturday evening was darts at the local pub for his parents. They would leave Craig at home by himself and go out for a few hours. Once a month they would stay afterwards, often until closing time, to socialize. This night required a sitter. One Saturday Olga was unavailable and Amber was hired to take her place.
Craig was instantly infatuated. Amber was the loveliest girl he had ever met face to face. The actual meeting only lasted a moment as his mother introduced him to Amber and then he shyly retreated to his room. Once there he fantasized the typical dreams of lust and seduction that fill the heads of young men.
It wasn’t until later that his thoughts took on a different direction. A gentle knock at the door and a soft voice reminded him that it was time for bed. He would normally answer back without opening the door but he had to see her again. He opened it a crack and peeked out to acknowledge her.
Her crimson hair framed her pretty face and cascaded over her bare shoulders. Her tank top looked snugger than it did before and her breasts were bigger than he remembered them. Her jeans fit tightly over her narrow hips. She was bare foot. She smiled at him and said good night.
He closed the door, got under the covers and imagined what she would look like tied up.
Part Four – Craig Meets Craig
What thirty-two year old Craig knew that thirteen year old Craig didn’t was that Amber was to babysit one more time two months later. It was as big a surprise as it had been the first time. The only difference was that he had two months to dream about tying her up. When she came through the door he was totally unprepared to make his dreams reality. That was going to change.
Craig told Sophie that he had an errand to run and would be back soon. The nice thing about a time machine is that you can go somewhere for hours and return just a minute after you left. He set the controls and pushed the right buttons and off he went.
The TARDIS jumped back nineteen years. The backyard of Craig’s current home is just down the street from the house he grew up in. He hustled down to the end of the street and waited on the bench at the bus stop by the corner. Soon a young lad came along carrying a paper bag from the grocer. He had just run an errand for his mother and was on the way home.
‘Hey lad’ he said to his younger self ‘how would you like to make your dreams come true?’ The boy ignored the guy with the scruffy beard and kept walking. ‘I meant your dreams about Amber.’ The boy stopped. He didn’t know what to say but he turned to look at the stranger. “How does he know about Amber?” he thought.
‘I know this seems really strange’ said the older Craig ‘and I’m not going to waste time with long explanations so please just listen to me for a moment.’ The younger one nodded but kept his distance.
‘Tonight Amber is going to babysit you again. It will be the last time you ever see her so you have to act now. She has three jobs today. When she gets to your house she is going to be tired. After you go to bed she is going to fall asleep on the couch. That’s when you make your move. I can’t tell you more; I’m already breaking all kinds of rules. Take this you will need it.’
The stranger got up and walked quickly away but left a paper grocery bag on the bench. It was identical to the one he was carrying. Young Craig went over and peeked into it. Then he picked it up for closer examination. In it was everything he had imagined he would need to capture the girl of his dreams.
“How could the stranger have known” he thought. He looked around but he was gone.
Part Five – Craig Meets Success
When the TARDIS returned to today Craig’s mind flooded with new memories; memories he had just created. His head reeled and he had to sit on the floor and close his eyes.
He remembered meeting himself at the bus stop. He had hustled home. Carrying two grocery bags aroused no suspicions from his mother. He offered to put his purchases away. He kept the second bag out of sight. Once he was done he waited until she wasn’t paying attention and slipped out of the kitchen.
In his bedroom he dumped the bag on the bed. There were two pairs of handcuffs for her wrists and ankles; because they were quicker to apply than ropes. There was a red ball gag because they looked so cool. There was a camera to take pictures; both for souvenirs and blackmail. The stranger knew exactly what he wanted.
That night Amber showed up instead of Olga. Craig went to his room and waited, going over the plan again and again in his mind. At ten o’clock a knock at the door informed him it was bed time. This time he acknowledged without opening the door. He lay on his bed and waited. After ten minutes he silently crept out.
Amber was lying face down asleep on the couch. Her head was turned towards him but he couldn’t see her face; the long crimson hair had fallen across it and hidden her perfect features.
She had on a pair of denim shorts and her tanned legs were stretched out side by side. It would be easy to snap the cuffs onto her ankles. She was wearing a pink halter top and other than the strap across the back of her neck and the ties in the center of her back all he could see was smooth desirable skin. Her bare arms were going to look fantastic bound across that back. There was one small problem.
One arm was lying at her side against the back of the couch. The other was over the side of the couch and her hand was touching the floor. He was going to have to lift it in order to get her wrists together.
He placed the ball gag and the camera on the arm of the couch nearest her head so that they were readily available. Then he moved down to her feet. Moving slowly and carefully he slipped the first cuff around her ankle and quietly squeezed it shut. Then he did the other. That went well and she didn’t stir. He stood back to figure out how he was going to get her hands behind her. After a moment he had an idea.
He placed the cuff around the wrist of the hand on the floor. He gently lifted her arm until it was high enough to place behind her back. He slowly moved it over and then lowered it. She twitched when the cold steel shackle touched the bare skin of her back but didn’t wake. He tried to lightly lift the other arm but it was firmly wedged between her body and the couch.
Holding the second cuff open with one hand he forced his other hand between her arm and the couch, grabbed and lifted. He had it snapped securely shut before she stirred. She moved slowly at first. He grabbed the gag but couldn’t get past the hair in her face to put it on. Then, realizing what had happened, she began to struggle. Craig didn’t know what to do next. It was only a matter of seconds before she would begin screaming.
Amber twisted and turned to no avail against her steel bonds. She rolled onto her side for a brief moment and then slipped off the couch crashing to the floor on her back. The shock caused her to pause for a few seconds. Then she tried to sit up. A quick shake of her head removed the hair from her face so that she could confront her assailant. She looked up and there was no one there.
Craig had moved around to await an opportunity to gag her from behind. She didn’t see him and as she tried to sit up he saw his chance. He put the gag over her head and pulled the ball against her lips. Her first instinct was the wrong one. When she opened her mouth to scream the ball slipped in cutting off her protest.
She tried to twist away but Craig held on and eventually was able to buckle the strap. Her efforts only resulted in Craig pulling it much tighter than necessary and the ball sunk in deep while the straps dug into her cheeks. When he was done he sat back on the floor while she continued to kick wildly and mmph loudly.
He was enjoying watching her so much he almost forgot about taking pictures. He had taken about a dozen from various angles before Amber realized what he was doing. She settled down immediately. It was not the first time she had been bound and gagged by one of her charges and she knew what the pictures were for.
Part Six – Craig Meets Failure
The rush of memories pleased Craig. The one thing lacking in his life had been achieved. He had been given a second chance and used it to capture the girl of his dreams. After reliving every second in vivid detail it was time to get back to his current life and leave the past.
He went back into the house. Something didn’t look right. He couldn’t quite tell what it was but something was missing. Then it dawned on him. In horror he ran through the house. Every picture, every knick knack, every trace of Sophie was missing. He dashed into Alfie’s nursery; it was a cluttered home office. In the bedroom it was only men’s clothes in the closet and drawers. All evidence of his new life was gone.
He collapsed to the floor sobbing. Somehow his visit to the past had altered the timeline. In this new reality he had no Sophie or Alfie; he was alone. He knew before going that the Doctor had encountered such phenomenon but he didn’t think that his brief excursion would have any impact. He had been careful to keep contact to a minimum but it had obviously not been little enough.
More memories began to flood back. Amber wasn’t his only victim. Once he had the cuffs he went on a spree. He lured classmates to his home on the pretext of doing homework. He invented a multitude of false reasons to invite neighborhood girls over. He even captured Olga. He got a reputation as a boy to avoid. Sophie became one of those who stayed away.
Part Seven – The Doctor Meets TAINT
Between meetings at UNIT the Doctor was asked to report to one of the conference rooms to meet with two officers from TAINT (Temporal Anomaly INvestigative Team). He was told that his TARDIS had made an unscheduled flight. This wasn’t uncommon; he rarely ever knew his plans let alone told them to anyone else. What did get their attention was that they detected that it was an unknown pilot at the helm and that he had created an event that altered time.
The Doctor left immediately to investigate. Being a time lord he could easily get back in time for the next meeting.
He found Craig in a devastated state on the floor. After getting an explanation from him the Doctor fixed the problem but in his own unique way.
They both entered the TARDIS and went back to the minute just before Craig had made his solo journey in time. When the sneaky Craig emerged from the house, bag in hand, the TARDIS dematerialized and he couldn’t make his trip. On board the Doctor and the guilty Craig went back nineteen years. This time Craig sat and said nothing as the young Craig walked by.
Returning back to the present time Craig emerged from the TARDIS. The memories of Amber’s capture, which had now not happened, were gone but he was still able to recall the terror of losing his family. He didn’t know why he had felt like that but he never wanted to feel that way again.
The Doctor smiled. Another crisis was averted, Craig had learned his lesson and the Doctor was late for his meeting anyways.