Family Reunion: Reunite

Tom's family was a weird mix of humans and protectors, with a statistically improbable amount of them being protectors despite only around seventy of them being in the past. Using his entire family being in one location, including the other protectors, Tom arranged for Naomi and Emma to be introduced to them in the hopes of drawing Jackie out.

He just hoped that she would show or the work that they’d put to generating the necessary protection for the human family members would be flushed down the drain.

            After the rest of the family got into position for the group photo, Tom took his chance and announced, ‘Guys, before we start I need to tell you something.’

            ‘Okay,’ Janet agreed.

            ‘A number of you already know this, but most of you don’t…and before I finish explaining I just want to say sorry to Nan for what is about to happen,’ Tom sighed. ‘Okay, everyone this will seem really weird ‘cause I’m only eighteen, but I have a girlfriend and a daughter. Naomi, Emma! Come in.’

            ‘You have a girlfriend,’ Ollie called out with a laugh.

            His dad on the other hand, looked at his quizzically and asked, ‘You have a daughter?’

            ‘Yeah, time travel and age manipulation are responsible for the slight differences in age, for example, I’m actually something like six hundred and twenty two at this point, Naomi is one hundred and forty nine and the really confusing one, Emma is three hundred and seventy eight,’ Tom explained as Emma and Naomi walked around the corner.

            ‘Mostly because I enjoy history so just live through various time periods when I’m bored,’ Emma joked as Janet’s eyes locked onto Naomi.

            ‘How?’ Janet stated, her eyes unmoving.

            ‘Quite simply actually, we have a time…oh. You were talking to mum,’ Emma started before noticing the woman’s gaze.

            ‘You’re hair…there are only two places you could have gotten that from,’ she pointed. ‘Emily or Will?’

            ‘Dad,’ Naomi admitted sadly. ‘He killed Will during the civil war that erupted when Tom came back. Mum, Jackie’s a psycho, she gave herself the ability to control minds, she turned him against us…He killed Paige, he tried to kill me, all because of her…’

Tom turned to see a couple glasses of water begin boiling while the fish tank at the back of the room began to shake uncontrollably.

            ‘Naomi. I’m so sorry, no child should have to go through that,’ Janet cried. ‘I should have made Geoff send you all back as well.’

            ‘And then I wouldn’t be born,’ Emma snapped. ‘Nor would my sisters. You can’t just undo everything, that isn’t how time works. The events that led here today were all set in stone. Geoff trying to kill dad. Jackie burning Paris. Kelvin killing Paige. Geoff sending you back in time. The way everything unwound itself in the past, everything was leading to this point.’

As Janet looked at the small girl in shock, Tom suddenly disappeared into a blur before an almighty crash sounded from behind Naomi as Tom threw Jackie down onto it, snapping it instantly. ‘Fight or sit Janet?’ Tom asked while he had a short respite.

            ‘Fight,’ she agreed, Tom nodded in understanding and clicked his fingers, causing Janet to become enveloped in a red smoke.

When the smoke dissipated a few seconds later, Janet appeared as a young beautiful woman who Naomi instantly recognised as the mother who had disappeared. The human members of the family sat and stared at the newly regenerated great-grandmother of the family, none of them truly believing it to be the same person.

While Tom held her down, Jackie caused the water from the fish tank to shatter the glass tank and escape in a power jet, which split into five which subsequently collidied with Tom, Emma, Connor, Erin and Naomi, sending them flying out the conservatory and into the outer-smoking area. She then turned to Janet and said, ‘Hello old friend. Ready to die like you should have done all those years ago?’
            ‘I won’t be the one to die today,’ Janet snarled back.