Back? Again? (Open)
He had found himself in his above-garage room in Charlie's house, and it had been very clear to him that the situation had been that. His stuff was there, and Charlie's bullet-riddled car had been outside. Which was not the place he'd been. He'd been with Jo. In her little house. There had been a little girl in the next room, sleeping soundly. He'd been content. More than that, he'd been happy.
Ted's heart had sunk to find he was back in California, but he'd gone back to his life the best that he could. There was a Charlie here, of course, just not... Charlie. This Charlie knew nothing about the City or what they'd done. This Charlie didn't have a Jennifer at his side, he was still wrapped up in his ex wife. This Charlie commented occasionally about how Ted didn't seem very Ted-like recently, but Ted just shook it off as flu symptoms.
So when he opened his eyes this time and saw the morning sun streaming through the silly lacy curtains that had been hung in Jo's slightly ridiculous little perfect house, his heart rose.
Of course, it sank again when he found no sign of Jo at all. And no Jo in the contacts of his phone. No little girl with special powers, either. Ted realized that the City had brought him back, but it had taken everything from him that he had loved. He was where he wanted to be, but not who he wanted to be with.
He knew that he couldn't stay in the little house forever. It would be too painful. But he would stay for a while at least, until he found somewhere else. Which... well, he wasn't going to do that right away, he didn't think. For now, well. Ted was going to check up on things around town.
Coffee first, he thought. Yes. Ted went looking for his favorite shop, finding it almost immediately. His face did not show that pleasure, though. It showed only his loss.