Warning ⚠️: This book contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

"Hello?" The voice firm and held no emotion but the emotions that spread through Joelee's heart almost sent her to her knees.

He sounded the same but after so long of not remembering his voice, it felt surreal how familiar it sounded to her after all these years.

The male cleared his throat awkwardly but Joelee didn't seem to notice how awkward this actually was as memories flooded into her head at the familiar sound. Tears filling her eyes as she began to remember all the times she'd heard that sound as a child.

"Hello?" The male repeated, voice harder this time as it revealed his annoyance at being disturbed so late at night.

She was sure that her mother was already in bed as it was around eleven already.

"Dad?" Joelee's voice came out a lot more timidly than she was intending, her hands shaky as she waited with baited breath for a reply.

"Opal?" Annoyance flooded through her veins at her sisters name rather than her own. But it was a common mistake. Opal was only a few years older than her and she probably sounded very similar now that she was an adult.

"No, dad." Joelee kept her voice calm, trying to mask her annoyance as she began to rub her thumb along the side of her index finger to calm her nerves.

"Juleea?" Joelee released a quiet growl at her twin sisters name, eyes momentarily flickering but she brushed it off as she released a heavy breath.

Well this wasn't the reunion she was expecting but then again she honestly hadn't known what to expect when she called her father after being missing for almost four years.

"No, dad. Wrong triplet." Joelee's answer seemed to stun the older male as the only thing that followed her words were complete and utter silence.

"Hi, dad." Joelee whispered, heart beating rapidly in her chest as she struggled to control her breathing.

"Scarlett? How's the baby, sweetie?" Joelee released a loud growl of frustration as she struggled to control her wolf, grip tightening on the pay phone that she was wasting precious money on by being called the wrong name.

"No, dad! It's Joelee! The one from the last set of triplets you had!" Joelee's tone was a lot harsher than she was intending but he had at least seven other daughters to get through before he finally guessed which one he was talking to so might as well rip off the bandaid now.

The silence was deafening this time, she couldn't even hear the sound of his breathing anymore.

"What do you need? Have they hurt you?" His reply sent chills down her spine as her breath caught in her throat, fear gripping her heart at the possibilities his simple question held.

"What?" Joelee's voice cracked but she didn't care about that right now as she gripped the phone tighter.

"The day you were taken we received a large sum of money in the mail and a note saying you were in capable hands but... We never stopped trying to find you. Please... Please tell me they didn't hurt you." Her fathers words made her hesitate as she took a large breath to clear the thoughts that raced through her mind at the revelation that The Monarch had attempted to bribe her parents into not looking for her.

"Dad.... I need your help." Joelee's words were low as though anyone could hear at any moment. Which she supposed the man that sat on the bench a bit further away was much too invested in his book to overhear but just in case she kept her voice low.

"Anything. I just want you to be safe, babygirl." His words caused her heart to twinge in pain as the ever familiar feeling of longing to be home and annoying her siblings arose in her.

She missed running through the woods like a wild little wolf pack with her siblings.
She missed the fresh air of her home, the wind billowing through her hair which she had refused to cut from a young age aside from her bangs which had grown to hang in front of her eyes over the years of her not cutting them.

"I need you to send my savings to me. From my job at the sanctuary? I'll give you the postal information but you have to promise that you won't come looking for me. Not yet. It's not safe for us to see each other yet." Joelee murmured after a moment, realizing that she was wasting precious time and money with her ridiculous pity party over how her life had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.

"Done. Just please... Don't let this be the last time we talk, baby. Please... Your mother and I miss you so much... It hasn't been the same without you." His words brought tears to her eyes, her grip on the phone loosening as her heart grew heavier in her chest.

"I miss you too. More than anything. I thought about all of you every day." Her voice was so disappointingly vulnerable sounding to herself. She hated how weak she felt at having emotions that weighed this heavily on her.

She was used to bottling it up inside, not showing her that it bothered her in the slightest. It was better that way. She couldn't get hurt if she never expressed how she felt.

Shaking off the weight of the emotions that coursed through her, she cleared her throat before giving her father the address of the postal box that Oscar had purchased for the group.

Joelee had talked him into it when she revealed she would probably be able to purchase a small house for the group to share to get them away from Oscar so that he wouldn't be in any further danger.

"Dad? I don't have much time but I just wanted to tell you that I-" The phone clicked before the automated voice message filled her sensitive ears rather than her fathers steady yet slightly labored breathing.

A growl of frustration escaped her lips as she slammed the phone back in its place, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks as she pressed her back against the cool wall next to the pay-phones.

Her eyes flashed for a moment as she straightened her stance, angrily brushing away the evidence that she had been crying before she began to walk towards the stairs of the subway.

Showing emotion meant someone could manipulate her just by knowing how she felt. Doyle had taught her that and she refused to allow someone to use her like he had.

Old Nathan watched as the beautiful blonde woman retreated up the stairs, a shaky breath escaping him at the relief of not being spotted.

The one time he had decided against using his time abilities, and instead used the subway, he had almost been caught. But he guessed that was just his luck now.

He counted himself lucky in one regard, that he had allowed the rather shaggy beard to grow on his face but what was beginning to grow alarming was how his face and body seemed to be aging faster than was normal.

He had found himself with a strand of gray when combing through his shoulder length waves of hair, which would've been normal had he not been only twenty one years old and had never previously even had a single gray hair let alone a whole cluster.

That and he had begun to grow a small amount of grey clustered throughout his beard. He assumed it was the stress but every day it seemed another gray hair would appear.

Perhaps it was a direct result of him using his time abilities but he couldn't know for sure.

He had chosen to start using more conventional means of travel to test his theory about whether or not using his time powers was draining his own life force of the precious time that he had assumed he had all control of.

He had watched and partially eavesdropped on his previous girlfriend's conversation, his overwhelming urge to make sure his friends stayed safe outweighing his fear of being caught.

So despite all his better judgement he had taken a seat on the bench just beside the phone booth, straining his ears to attempt and hear the conversation with what he had learned was her father.

Had it not been for the fact that his senses had been enhanced by the serum he probably wouldn't have heard any of her fathers side of the conversation but luck was on his side for once.

She hadn't noticed him luckily. She hadn't even glanced in his direction which he couldn't deny hurt a bit as he thought that they were close enough that she'd recognize him no matter what but then again he had been playing it safe for a reason.

He had begun to wear a different cologne in the hopes that she wouldn't recognize his scent which he had discovered was definitely a smart idea when she walked right by him, him lowering his black fedora over his face as he pressed his face farther into the book he pretended to read.

They were making bigger strides to stay in New York where they had originally stayed. That was good.

If they went home he knew that history would probably be doomed to repeat itself.

Seeing her was harder than he had expected it to be but he new better than to say anything to her. But as he watched her break down after the phone call ended, he wanted nothing more than to comfort her. To wipe away her tears just one more time.

"That's pathetic." A male's deep voice jolted Old Nathan from his thoughts, his green eyes turning as he focused his gaze on the man who had spoken instead.

"I'm sorry?" Old Nathan eyed the male cautiously, taking the time to study the annoyingly handsome man in front of him.

The male seemed to be around Old Nathan's age, maybe a little older... Well... The age Old Nathan should've appeared to look. But now that Nathan looked to be in his late twenties, the male appeared to be only a bit younger than himself.

The male was incredibly handsome by even Old Nathan's picky standards with a large, muscular form that towered over Old Nathan's 6'2 frame, making the male around 8'2. The top part of his black curly hair pulled back in a large messy bun, while the sides were shaved down to reveal an intricate, white tattoo of a wolf skull, maw gaping open in a snarl which held a human skull within its jaws. The left side on the other hand held a very beautiful blood red Phoenix mid flight.

His lips were full, lowered into a scowl that was more menacing than what Old Nathan had previously been expecting when he had turned to confront the male.

His skin was dark, marred with scars and tattoos all along his face a what little Old Nathan could see of his dragon scale tattooed neck from where it was contained by a floor length, black, trench coat. The black shirt he wore was stretched tight across his large chest while his large a powerful legs somehow made his black cargo pants seem tight as well.

He definitely was extra thicc from what Old Nathan could see.

His neon green, almond shaped eyes, seemed to glimmer in amusement as though he could hear Old Nathan's thoughts but he said nothing as if he were waiting for Old Nathan to finishing his thorough examination.

"You done?" The males deep voice jolted Old Nathan from his daze as he realized that he had been staring for far too long.

"Watching your ex girlfriend from the past is kind of creepy, isn't it?" Old Nathan's form stiffened at the male's words, the time turner taking a step back from this mysterious stranger who knew way too much for Old Nathan to feel comfortable.

"Who are you?" Old Nathan finally found his voice after a moment, hand resting now on the pocket watch in his black coat as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Name's Alaric. You can call me Obsidian." The male smirked as he tipped an imaginary hat but Old Nathan's lack of a reaction made him frown.

"Not ringing a bell?" Alaric questioned which made Old Nathan shake his head no, reaction seeming to annoy the taller male.

"Well, Nathan Spencer... I know of you. I know you escaped from this worlds Monarch... I know you have the answers to all of my questions. So..." Alaric grabbed Old Nathan's upper arm, giving a dangerous smirk before both men disappeared in a blast of blood red smoke.

_-*-_

"So I have a confession." Nathan... Young Nathan... admitted as he released Joelee's hand to instead scratch the back of his neck.

"You asked me on a date for a different reason than just to spend time with me, didn't you?" Joelee murmured as she walked beside the taller male, not wanting to look at him as the two walked down the busy streets.

"We don't have much alone time so I felt like a date would give us some privacy." Nathan replied rather awkwardly, keeping his gaze focused ahead rather than risking looking at her. He knew he'd lose his nerve if he looked her in the eye. She had that effect on him.

"Considering we're both broke until further notice, I think it was more suspicious to say a date instead of a walk.... Considering that's what we're doing. Walking." Joelee teased but Nathan didn't even smile as he instead cleared his throat before he ran a hand through his untamed hair.

"I think we need to talk." Joelee had been mentally preparing herself for this conversation for awhile now but she hadn't expected him to bring it up so soon. She knew that he was thinking about it which had made her consider if this was what she actually wanted but now she faltered as she realized she didn't actually know what she wanted anymore.

"I know." She answered after a moment, causing the male to hesitate, eyes now narrowed as he turned his hard glare on the woman beside him.

"I asked you not to read my mind, Joe." His words were slightly muffled from him speaking through clenched teeth, causing the woman beside him to flinch but he didn't seem to care.

"I can't help it... I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean we still don't need to talk about it." Joelee's answer seemed to make him even more mad but he clenched his fists to try and calm himself enough to have a civil conversation.

"As you know, I've been thinking... I've been thinking a lot. And I've come to the conclusion that I think we should take a break." Hearing the words hurt more than she was expecting, especially since he threw in a reminder that he hated how she could read his mind. He liked to keep his secrets until he wanted to reveal them... She understood that. But that didn't make it hurt any less that he had that reaction to her powers.

"May I ask why?" Joelee's response caused him to scoff as he hesitated to lean against a wall, glaring down at the shorter woman who avoided his gaze as she already knew what he was going to say.

"You know why so I don't even know why we're having this conversation." Nathan's answer was like a slap to the face. She didn't need to read his mind to know that his response is exactly what she was expecting.

"We need to have this conversation because we're not children anymore, Nathan. We're deciding our future in the long run so it doesn't matter if I can read minds... We still need to talk about it." Thunder boomed overhead but neither seemed to care as Joelee finally forced her now gray gaze to Nathan who faltered for a moment before he sighed quietly.

"Look, Joe... Four years ago, I did love you. I still love you... But what future do we have?" Nathan's words were tentative as though he were debating every word before he allowed it to escape his mouth.

"A future based on the dream of naive children. I looked forward to every day escaping so we could bring those dreams to life but... You've changed... And I know I have too. But I gave it a chance in the hope that we could adjust to grow to love each other like that again... But now I see you don't have the patience for that." Nathan hadn't expected her response to hurt as much as it did but in a way he deserved it. They hadn't been out of the Monarch for very long... About a week now maybe.

"A week is all it took for me to realize how I felt, Joe. I don't love you like that anymore. I guess... I guess the wait just wasn't worth it." Tears threatened to spill from Joelee's eyes but she forced them away as she instead dug her nails into her palms to keep her face calm.

"So that's it? Five years for nothing?" Her words made his heart heavy as memories of all they'd went through before The Monarch flashed through his head.

As he looked down in her eyes, all he could think of was the love in her eyes when she looked at him during the dance they'd attended together. So long ago, such a different time... It was almost foreign.

She'd had so much life in her eyes then... A brightness at the hope of the future they could've had together. But now... They were just as lifeless as any future they could've had together.

"Do you want to stay together?" His words made her falter as she studied his eyes, desperately searching for any sign of the man she once knew.

"I don't want to waste my time and love on someone who won't give me the same." Her reply was almost disappointing but he hardened his gaze to fight the heavy feeling that weighed down his heart now.

"I don't want to harbor any bad feelings about this, Nathan. Please just give me closure, here... I just need to know..." Joelee ran her thumb over the side of her index finger as she grew nervous at the possibility of what his answer would be.

"What?" Nathan's heart fluttered uncomfortably as he watched her expression closely now, noticing how uncomfortable she seemed now.

"Were you planning on leaving me for her before we got kidnapped?" Her words sent ice through his spine as he realized what she was asking.

"Yes. I was." His reply was what she was expecting but it felt like she'd just gotten punched in the stomach.

"Then why did you lead me on?" Joelee hissed out as tears spilled from her eyes, noticing the remorse that spread over his features but it only enraged her further that he felt guilty.

"Did our year together mean nothing? Why didn't you just tell me sooner? Why make me work to save a relationship that was doomed to fail from the start?" Black veins crawled up her arms slowly as her voice began to grow more bitter with every word she spoke.

"It meant more to me than I can say, Joe. I loved her first... She was my first everything. I love her still. I knew I had to see her again the moment we escaped. Being locked up that long made me think and while I was loyal to you... I missed her more. And... We had more plans. We had a brighter future together. Leaving her was a mistake. Leading you on was a mistake... I'm sorry. I am. But you've changed... You're Angry... You're... Dangerous." His words made her flinch as she looked down at her hands, realizing the veins were spreading as fast as her tears flowed now. The tinge that allowed her to see extremely well at night intensified which made her realize her eyes were now gold.

He was right. She was dangerous. She wanted nothing more than to hurt him as bad as he was hurting her.

"I hope you can find someone else... Someone who can handle you... I... Can't." He took a step towards her but she backed away, shaking her head furiously as she pulled her hood over her head to hide her face which was now covered in black veins that caused her waterline to begin to turn black as well.

"I need time to think." Her words came out strained as she began to walk away, Nathan making no attempt to follow as he instead watched her go.

Tears flowed freely as she struggled to control the sobs that threatened to escape her chest.

Now what?

She'd given up so much to be with him but now it really didn't matter. That was a different life completely so she supposed it made sense that it didn't matter at all to him what she'd sacrificed.

It shouldn't have been a surprise to her but it was. She couldn't blame him at all. His ex was far more beautiful in every way and much smarter. She was better in every way so of course he'd still want her.

There was never a time that she didn't know that. But she held out hope. She loved Nathan's ex... She was like family. She felt no bitterness towards the beautiful woman but her own self hatred was overwhelming.

Perhaps if Nathan had stayed with his ex... Mikala... Maybe then he could've had a normal life... Maybe he wouldn't have come to camp that year and gotten kidnapped... But Mikala had been there too so there was no way of telling for certain how different it could've been.

She wasn't angry at Mikala... Nor Nathan... After all... Why be angry at someone for having feelings?

But then again, had he told her sooner she would've let them be happy. After all... There was no way she'd fight for a man that didn't even want her to begin with... But that didn't ease the pain in her chest... No matter how strong she attempted to be.

She just needed to be alone. To think.

"Poor girl. How's it feel to watch you break up with your girlfriend?" Alaric taunted from where he and Old Nathan had watched the exchange from the top of a large building.

"Why did you bring me here?" Old Nathan murmured as he watched his younger doppelgänger look up at the sky helplessly, face showing how conflicted he felt now.

"I love drama, honestly. But it's because this building is very close to my heart. In my realm this is an apartment building." Alaric laid his palm on the top of the old theatre, eyes distant but void of emotion. Old Nathan managed one more glance down at the young version of himself but he was already walking away now... In the opposite direction that Old Nathan was hoping he'd go.

"He doesn't love her. He won't follow. But that's not why we're here, Spencer." Alaric stood to his full height which caused Old Nathan to back away, not being able to help how intimidated he felt by this annoying male.

"I want to know who all you brought through when you created your little time tear." Alaric's words caused Old Nathan to arch his eyebrows in confusion which made Alaric's own widen.

"You don't have any clue what I'm talking about, do you?" Alaric seemed incredibly annoyed now which only confused Old Nathan further.

"Well then, let me explain." Alaric grabbed Nathan's shoulder, both men disappearing in a blast of red smoke which caused Nathan to close his eyes as it felt as though his body were on fire once again.

"Eyes open, you pansy." Old Nathan gasped as a gust of wind almost knocked him over but Alaric's hold on his arm kept him steady as he forced his eyes open.

"What the heck?! Why are we here!?" Old Nathan screamed out as he looked down with a queasy feeling, the ground below way too far away for his comfort.

"Turn around. Don't look down." Alaric sneered as he forced Old Nathan to turn his head, revealing a large swirling rainbow hole in the middle of the prongs of Lady Liberty's crown.

"What is that?" Old Nathan's fear of heights put on the back burner of his mind now as he stared at what appeared to be a literal tear in the air.

"You did that. Pretty inconvenient placement for a time tear but it did its job nevertheless." Alaric stuck his hand through the tear for a moment before returning it to his side, smirking at the complete shock on Old Nathan's face.

"Did you really think you could mess with time that drastically and it not have consequences? I mean... You could have potentially fixed it without much problem but considering that you went to a completely new realm instead of fixing your own... Well... That causes problems. Like this." Alaric's words made Old Nathan's heart drop as he realized what Alaric was saying.

"I didn't fix anything?" Old Nathan whispered out as he felt as though he would start crying at any moment now.

"No. Not really. All you did was go to a timeline where the only difference between your realm and this one was you were supposed to die with Alyssa and Blake. So technically you can pat yourself on the back for saving THIS realm from death. But yours... Well... It's still the exact same way that you left it. Bummer, eh? Time tear was probably caused by some sort of anomaly... Maybe you messed with a fixed point in this timeline which is causing it to tear itself apart to fix it. Not quite sure." Alaric smirked as though his words were amusing rather than completely life crushing to Old Nathan.

"How do I fix this?" Old Nathan whispered as he fought back the tears, now filled with a determination to save his own friends.

"Oh, it's simple, really. I just need to know who all you allowed to use you as a human taxi and we'll fix it together." Alaric's answer surprised Old Nathan, his eyebrows arching skeptically at the males willingness to help.

"I didn't have anyone use me to get here as far as I know... Aside from... You...I'm guessing. You came through the tear, didn't you?" Alaric grinned as he tilted his head to the side a bit, sneaky glint in his neon green eyes as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Guilty as charged. My realm is indeed on the other side of this tear... Which is why I need to close it. So if you're saying you don't know anyone hitched a ride then you're basically useless in tracking them down..." Nathan looked down in frustration as he clenched his fists, Alaric's words stinging a little as he wanted more than anything to help so he could fix his own timeline.

"Then, what else would you have me do?" Nathan gritted out, determined now to help Alaric fix his mistakes so that he wouldn't cause any further damage to this realm.

Alaric smirked as he reached towards his back pocket, pulling a handgun from the holster that his trench coat concealed.

"I'd have you die." Alaric pulled the trigger before Nathan had any chance to react. The bullet ripping through Nathan's head and sending the male tumbling over the edge from the sheer force.

"Pity. I was looking forward to getting this done quickly." Alaric sighed as he returned the gun to his holster, removing instead a black pocket watch from his side pocket. He ran his thumb over the black Tree Of Life that was engraved into the face of the watch before flipping it open, revealing the black watch hands inside that were modeled after the branches of a tree.

"Guess I'll have to do this myself." He muttered as he gazed at the picture of an adorable chubby baby inside. The baby was slightly tan with rosy red cheeks, her beautiful black, curly, hair, incredibly long for the age she appeared to be. Her eyes were mismatched, one being a blood red while the other was the same neon green as his.

She wore a cute, gray, bear costume which matched the teddy bear she held in her chubby hands.

"Not long now, Mira." The males voice was soft now as he ran his finger over the baby picture before he disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke.