Part 763: Family Reunion

January 29th, 2021. Aevum, 6PM Earth-time.

Phoebe stepped out into Aevum’s open-air for the first time. She was filled with trepidation at what she would see, but even so, she was completely unprepared for the sight she beheld.

The first thing Phoebe noticed was the sky. There was a sun shining above, but it seemed ‘off’ as if it was ever so slightly a different color from the one she was used to. At the same time, the atmosphere was pitch-black, not blue as it usually would be when the sun was out.

The next thing Phoebe noticed was a gigantic towering spire with glowing lines of energy that wound their way from the base to the levitating crystal at the top. Phoebe had never seen such a tall building in her entire life. Its sheer height was awe-inspiring and made her look at it as if a god had crafted it with the essence of the stars.

All sorts of strange black-metal cubes were levitating in the sky. Phoebe had no idea what they were, or their purpose, but they hummed with faint pulsations of energy, making her realize she had heard this ‘hum’ since the moment she arrived in Aevum; she simply hadn’t noticed it at first because everything else had overwhelmed her.

There were many other buildings colored white and gilded with gold accents as well. The whole city looked a thousand times more fantastical than Camelot, to the point Phoebe started feeling a little lightheaded again. She quickly closed her eyes and massaged her forehead.

"Welcome to Aevum." Jason said, tentatively patting her back with the gentlest possible touch. "Just take a minute or two. Don’t let the sights overwhelm you."

"It’s… it’s so… incredible…" Phoebe muttered. She opened her eyes and squinted while looking around. It was difficult for her to even put into words how fantastical this Divine Land of the Stars was. It seemed stars had been used to craft it, because what other materials could glow so brilliantly under a pitch-black sky?

Phoebe did need several minutes to recover her senses, but eventually, she and Jason started slowly walking out of her house through the inner city. Phoebe didn’t know this, but she lived on a piece of prime real estate that future Aevum-dwellers would kill to enjoy. Her home was part of a large manor that Jason himself also technically lived in, but he rarely had time to actually spend inside, as he was always busy. It was situated less than 500 meters from the Nexus Tower itself.

Years from now, many people would compete for the right to live in a place quite a bit further from the Nexus Tower than Phoebe’s current dwelling, and she was totally ignorant on what that meant.

Not that Jason cared. Phoebe was his wife, even if… not really. He would naturally give her all the best he had to offer, as he would for his daughter and father.

"And this over here, that’s the Aegis Womb." Jason said, gesturing to a large glass dome with an interior that went deep underground. "Have you ever heard of Heroic Artifacts before? Perhaps ones similar to Solomon’s Crown, or Excalibur?"

Phoebe nodded slowly. "I have indeed gazed upon the King’s Blade in the past. It was a majestic weapon."

"Well, the Aegis Womb is a special place that allows me to manufacture all sorts of weapons, artifacts, and other fantastical things of that nature. In the future, I plan to place many craftsmen and women in there, such as the legendary Elizabeth Kindelmann, or perhaps even you, if you’re up for it."

Jason smiled knowingly at Phoebe, but she did not smile back.

"Jason, I often find your jokes amusing, but if they have any weight behind them, I must dissuade you of such notions." Phoebe said, shaking her head gently. "I am no master of crafting. My thoughts are slow and simple. I am a much better fighter than I am a thinker. It really seems as though King Arthur gave you a false impression of my abilities. I wonder what strange things he has said to color your view of me so incorrectly?"

Jason’s smile faded. He wanted to say something, but he found it hard to give voice to the words.

What could he tell her? That not only was he a time traveler, but he and her knew each other in the future? That would only serve to confuse her, and then she might start asking other questions… and this could ultimately cause a terrible situation to play out. He didn’t want to scare her or push her away.

Once again, Jason thought of perhaps transplanting Phoebe’s future memories into her younger self, but he shook his head. It was a terrible idea.

Put another way, some might immediately leap at the chance to ‘resurrect’ their wife inside her younger body, but Jason knew from experience doing so would only cause her past and future memories to collide. It would be as if Phoebe were experiencing two conflicting realities at once.

Additionally, one’s lived experiences were always far stronger than mere memories, even implanted ones that felt as ‘real’ as lived experiences. Those implanted memories would end up feeling foreign, like experiencing someone else’s life by watching thousands of hours of bodycam footage. Phoebe would believe her personal memories over the new ones, every time.

Another option Jason had considered was mind-wiping Phoebe entirely and transplanting all her future memories up to the moment he died. This was feasible. Jason knew it would work.

But it was wrong. It was so, so very wrong. He would never do such a thing without past-Phoebe’s express permission, and even if she completely believed in him and trusted him, even going to far as to eradicate her current self for the sake of a woman she didn’t truly know, the guilt would eat Jason alive. He would feel deep shame, knowing he had killed the Phoebe of the past just to bring back his future wife, revived in a new body.

Even if it all worked out… could Jason really bring himself to do that? Did he deserve to do that?

Phoebe was dead. She had died in the future. Putting her memories in a younger vessel would not actually revive her. His wife had died, permanently, for good. He would only be cloning her, not actually reviving the wife he lost.

Philosophically, it was a Ship of Theseus dilemma. The most effective way Jason could think to bring Phoebe back would still not actually revive her, but a facsimile at best, and he would only be doing so to make himself feel better.

Thus… Jason was at a loss. He simply walked beside Phoebe, basking in her presence, yet feeling somewhat numb and uncertain of how he should proceed.

Jason considered trying to romance her younger self. He thought about possibly making her fall in love with him without using magic or anything else, simply trying to pursue her earnestly as any ordinary man would.

But even that… even that felt like a sin.

He didn’t deserve to have Phoebe back. He had failed his wife in the future. What right did he have to love her younger, more naive self? What right did he have to cheat on the woman he’d failed with a version of her who didn’t know any better?

Wouldn’t he just end up killing her again? That was the only thing he was good at. Killing the people he loved.

Jason forced himself to remain stoic. This time, he carefully made sure his face didn’t reveal any conflicting thoughts. He shoved all his concerns and worries to the back of his mind.

He opted not to think about the matter. It was easier that way.

"Over here, these are the dormitories of several young new Lowborn I’ve recently brought to Aevum to train." Jason said, gesturing to a large apartment building about ten blocks from Phoebe’s manor. "It’s also where my… my daughter lives."

"Oh, your daughter?" Phoebe questioned with a smile. "I remember you mentioned her. What was her name again?"

"…Daisy." Jason said, steeling his heart. "Her mother chose the name."

"It’s a beautiful name indeed." Phoebe nodded. "If I had a daughter, I’d definitely name her after a flower. Maybe something like ‘Lily’ or ‘Rose’. Can I meet your little girl? Is that okay?"

Jason slowed to a stop outside the dorms. He gave Phoebe a long look.

"Ah… Phoebe… if my daughter acts weird toward you… I would like to apologize in advance."

"Apologize? There’s no need for that." Phoebe said, laughing off his concerns. "Kids will be kids. They say the darnedest things."

"No, I mean, she um… well, she was traumatized at a young age. I told you I was married before, yes? Well, Daisy , she… she lost her mother when she was only 6 years old. You look… a lot like her mother. So I don’t know how she’ll react."

Phoebe blinked.

She looked a lot like Daisy’s mother? So didn’t that mean she looked a lot like Jason’s late wife?

For a brief moment, several thoughts clicked into place. Could this be why Jason was so interested in her? Did he fancy the only female Knight of the Round Table because Phoebe resembled his fallen wife?

Phoebe internally shook her head. The idea wasn’t entirely far-fetched, but Jason had clearly maintained his distance from her all this time. It seemed he was even hesitant to touch her. And that made sense, given she was in her 30’s and he was still a young man. What young man would be interested in a woman well past the beauty of her youth? He should be pursuing pretty girls his own age.

Phoebe shook off the extraneous thoughts. She simply nodded. "If Daisy says anything discourteous, rest assured I won’t hold her words against her. A girl who has lost her mother is a sad child indeed."

"Yeah." Jason said.

That was all he managed to get out. His thoughts felt distant, disoriented. He was having a hard time emotionally coming to grips with what he had to do, but introducing Daisy and Phoebe was necessary if the two of them were both going to live in Aevum. Better to meet now than by accident when Daisy was unprepared.

After steeling his mind, Jason stepped toward the dormitory, his movements somewhat wooden. Phoebe walked beside him, but even she could tell he was having a hard time. He wasn’t able to mask his emotions as well as he wanted, now that the moment of truth had arrived.

What’s making Jason so nervous? Phoebe wondered. Is he really that worried his daughter will offend me?

After they entered, Jason led Phoebe down the brightly lit hallway. There were sounds of shouts in a gymnasium built in the basement one floor below the entry floor. They walked down some stairs where they heard a group of teenagers yelling and shouting. Phoebe looked on as a massive dark-skinned man was doing pushups in the middle of an open court. He seemed to be struggling as he lifted his body up, flexing at his elbows. His face was pouring with sweat, and his entire body was sticky from perspiration. He only had on a pair of shorts and some flip-flops, he was otherwise shirtless, and the observers could make out all the veins on his arms.

"Three hundred and forty two!" Another dark skinned man shouted, his back to Jason and Phoebe. "C’mon Jerome, you’re almost to three-fifty! Tough it out!"

"You c-can do it, Jerome!" A pretty young teenage girl with blonde hair said. She clasped her hands together worriedly.

Another blonde girl was standing at the edge of the arena. She was holding both of her palms out, facing downward, and seemed to be struggling to concentrate, or something else. All her attention was on Jerome. She hadn’t noticed Phoebe and Jason entering, even though she was facing them.

There was another well-dressed young man in a suit. He sat at a table nearby, sipping orange juice from a fancy glass. He only looked at the struggle in the center of the room with mild interest. He was the first to notice Jason enter.

Not wanting to distract the others, the suited-teenager quickly got up and moseyed on over toward the Trueborn.

"Jason! Good to see you again! And who’s this lovely lady beside you?"

"Hey, Brian. This is Phoebe Berthold. Phoebe, this is Brian Bozzard. He’s a pyrokinetic; he can manipulate fire."

"Wow!" Phoebe said in genuine amazement. "It’s nice to meet you, Brian. What’s going on in here?"

"Brian gestured toward the dark-skinned man doing pushups. "Daisy is using her telekinesis to push down on Jerome’s body. Since he gets stronger every time he exerts himself, the harder he trains, the bigger his gains."

"Oh, I see- wait! That’s Daisy??" Phoebe asked, looking at the pretty teenage blonde girl who was concentrating on Jerome. "She’s your daughter, Jason? But she’s…"

Phoebe looked at Jason with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. Was Jason really not a teenager? Was he telling the complete truth when he said he was hundreds of years old? How else could he have a daughter who looked the same age as him?!

Jason met Phoebe’s confusion with his own look of confusion. Why did she have such an incredulous look on her face? He’d already told her he was hundreds of years old. Could it be that there was something else she had misunderstood?

"Yes, that’s my little girl, Daisy." Jason said. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"She’s just… she looks to be the same age as you." Phoebe said, feeling dizzy yet again. "Are you really, truly, genuinely, hundreds of years old?"

"Yeah, I am." Jason said nonchalantly, as if that didn’t fly in the face of everything Phoebe knew about the world. "What’s so weird about that? Demons and angels are immortal. Humans can become immortal too, I’m just one of the first ones to figure out how to do it. I’ll make everyone immortal soon enough, including you."

"Oh. Oh… I see." Phoebe trailed off, looking back at Daisy with a look of renewed interest. So this was the girl Jason had talked about so much! Phoebe had thought Daisy was eight to ten years old at most, not a young adult. And judging by the ruckus on stage, she was powerful, like her father.

Jerome looked like he was about to die. Daisy didn’t hold back at all, and pressed down upon his back with the weight of a mountain. If the gymnasium hadn’t been made of Wordsmithium, it would have collapsed from the sheer weight of Jerome’s hands and feet crushing down on the floor.

"Three hundred and forty-seven!"

"Three hundred and forty eight! Come on Jerome, you’ve got this!!"

"Three hundred and… and forty nine!! You’re doing it man, you’re doing it! Just one more!"

Even Brian started to get excited. "Last one, Jerome! Last one!"

Daisy happened to glance over when she heard the unexpected sound of Brian’s voice. At that moment, her eyes fell upon Phoebe’s face.

What happened next was something Phoebe would never forget.

All of a sudden, the weight vanished from Jerome’s body. Not expecting his trainer to suddenly retract her powers, Jerome launched himself skyward. In a single instant, his push-up turned into a springing motion, and he launched himself toward the ceiling, crashed through the gymnasium’s roof, and flew into the sky. Jerome screamed in fright and surprise before Jason’s fast-acting allowed him to reach out with a Word of Power and stop Jerome’s momentum in midair.

Daisy was in a daze. She had become just as startled by everyone else when she lost control of her powers and Jerome flew into the ceiling, but at the same time, her gaze was completely transfixed on her mother’s face.

In Daisy’s eyes, her knowledge of Jason and Phoebe were not the same. Not at all. Once Daisy had mastered teleportation, she had secretly watched Jason from a distance over the years. She was familiar with what he looked like, and her memory of her father’s face had never faded. She had thought of seeing him and speaking to him on countless occasions.

The same was not true of Phoebe. Until Jason explained to her Phoebe’s situation and how she was under Bahamut’s control, Daisy had never known where her mother was, or if she was even alive. Her childhood memories of her mother’s face were blurry at best, and a source of deep anxiety.

Thus, the moment she saw her mother again, Daisy’s powers went into a state of chaotic flux.

Daisy staggered slightly. She looked up at the ceiling, where Jerome had just gone flying, then immediately lowered her eyes back to Phoebe. Her previous work on exercising Jerome’s body had completely fled her mind. She didn’t care at all anymore. He had left her thoughts entirely.

Like a dream, Daisy stumbled toward her mother. She didn’t blink. She couldn’t blink. She looked at Phoebe with such intensity that Phoebe sensed the change in the young woman’s demeanor immediately, but Phoebe was equally distracted by Jerome’s flight upward!

"Oh my god!" Phoebe exclaimed, glancing at Jason. "Is that young man going to be okay?"

"Ah. Yeah." Jason said, as he saw his daughter approaching. He knew Phoebe had no idea just how important this moment was to Daisy. "Don’t worry about Jerome. He’ll be fine. Um, Phoebe Berthold, this is my daughter, Daisy Hiro."

Jason quickly put emphasis on both women’s last names. He wasn’t an idiot, and he had informed Daisy he would be bringing Phoebe to Aevum. Even so, it had been a few weeks in Aevum-time, and Daisy didn’t know when Phoebe would arrive. Thus, Phoebe’s appearance was, in every meaning of the word, a shock to her system. It caused a mental reboot.

"Mom…" Daisy said, as she drew closer. "Mom…"

"No." Jason quickly said, stepping forward. "This is Phoebe Berthold. I told you about her. She’s one of King Arthur’s Knights. Please mind your manners."

Daisy stopped a few feet from Phoebe. She stared at the white-haired woman, a wooden expression on her face. Her eyes were distant, as if drinking in Phoebe’s appearance, yet unable to process the person she was looking at as a physical existence.

"Um. Hello, young lady." Phoebe said, now understanding that the situation was more baffling than even she had expected. "I… I’m a friend of your father’s. More of a vassal, really. He explained to me that I look a lot like your mother, but… well, um… I’m not? I am sorry for your mother’s loss. I’m sure it was very hard on you."

Daisy took a step back. She looked like she’d been punched in the throat. She opened her mouth to speak, but words evaded her. For several long seconds, he just looked at Phoebe with a blank stare.

"I… yeah… good… to meet you…" Daisy said numbly. "Sorry… I… havetogo…"

Before Phoebe or even Jason could react, Daisy… disappeared.

She vanished from the spot, as if instantly turning invisible. Phoebe was startled. One second, the young lady was there, and the next second, she wasn’t.

Phoebe directed a frown Jason’s way. "Jason… is there something you’re not telling me? Your daughter looked like she’d seen a ghost! Is she alright?"

"She… she…" Jason said dumbly. "I… I should go talk to her."

He bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry, Phoebe. Stay here with Brian and the rest. I’ll be back in a bit."

Like this, Jason also disappeared, leaving Phoebe with a group of curious teenagers.

It didn’t take long for Jerome to return to the arena. He was angry and confused by what had happened, but he chalked the situation up to Daisy exhausting her power, causing all her strength to disappear. He didn’t blame her for the accident.

As Phoebe was trying to figure out what was even happening, she heard a teenage girl’s voice from her left side.

"Phoebe Berthold?"

Phoebe turned to look at another pair of faces she hadn’t seen before. This time, there were two teenage girls, a brunette with long and curly hair, and another with short black hair in a bob. They were both wearing cute dresses that seemed like they’d been made by a fashion designer.

"Yes?" Phoebe asked, not sure which one had spoken.

It turned out to be the black haired girl with a thin frame. She was somewhat homely, with a slightly sickly complexion, and she wore an eye-catching armband on her wrist that seemed to glow with magical energy.

"Hello. I’m Nadia." The black-haired girl said, before gesturing to the brunette beside her. "This is Sasha. She’s a fashion designer, and an alchemist. I’m a… I’m a…"

Nadia struggled to search for the right words, but Sasha quickly interjected. "Nadia is the brains of Aevum. She’s the smartest person here, maybe even smarter than the Trueborn himself! Nice to meet ya, Phoebe!"

Nadia looked a little embarrassed by her friend’s boasting, but she didn’t deny the claims. "I’m smarter than average, I guess. I’m just glad I finally get to meet you."

"Meet me?" Phoebe questioned. "Oh, that’s nice of you to say. I’m nobody important though."

A strange silence followed for a few moments as Nadia simply stared at Phoebe.

"Oh. I see. Well, I have no doubt you’ll become someone incredible, soon enough. Did Jason help you acquire the Sphinx’s powers already?"

"He did. How do you know that?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh… I just kinda… know a lot of stuff." Nadia answered evasively.

"She’s REALLY smart." Sasha bragged on behalf of her friend, yet again.

"I don’t doubt that." Phoebe said, smiling gently. It seemed the young girl had self esteem issues, but she certainly did seem bright. Phoebe envied her intelligence. Nadia had a bright future ahead of her.

"Since Jason and Daisy both left, why don’t the rest of us show you around?" Nadia suggested. "We can tell you about our powers, maybe see if we can activate yours as well."

"Sure. That sounds like a lot of fun!" Phoebe chirped. "And that Jerome fellow… he’s alright?"

"Jerome is the toughest person here." Sasha said. "He can take a beating. You have no idea!"

---

While Phoebe was being led around Aevum, Jason chased after his daughter. It wasn’t hard to find her, since she wasn’t capable of teleporting out of Aevum, and the world itself was quite small. Jason’s Wordsmithing let him blanket the entire realm with his consciousness whenever needed, part of its auxiliary functions he could activate with a single thought.

Jason found Daisy in her dorm. She was curled up in a ball in the corner of her room. The moment Jason appeared, her tears and cries of pain struck his heart like an anvil.

"Daisy…" Jason said softly. "I… I told you I was bringing her back. I didn’t mean to-"

"FUCK YOU, dad!" Daisy screamed, mashing her palms against her eyes. She choked on sobs of rage and despair. "You ambushed me! You just brought mom in like that, didn’t tell me it was TODAY! I wasn’t prepared at all! And she was just THERE. She was right there, and I’m not allowed to hug her, or kiss her, or call her mom, and then you start getting pissy and reminding me she’s not really my mom?! What’s wrong with you?! How could you DO this to me?? Uuuu…"

Daisy’s sobs became louder and more pained. Her heart beat erratically, and she lowered one hand to clutch her chest, feeling as if she was about to have a panic attack.

Jason instinctively wanted to use a Word of Power to ease her pain, but he knew that would be a supremely stupid move, robbing her of the emotions she deserved. Instead, he stood there, looking down at his little girl, not sure of what to do.

Carefully, Jason knelt down and reached toward her, but Daisy sensed his touch and slapped his hand away.

"Don’t touch me!" Daisy snapped. "Fuck you, dad! Fuck you!! H-how could you do this to me?! My mom… she’s right there… she’s RIGHT there, and I’m not allowed to say anything? How is that fair?!"

Jason closed his eyes. He lowered his arm and became still.

He felt the urge to cry as well. Daisy didn’t seem to know just how difficult the situation was for him as well, but could he tell her that? Of course not. He would be a terrible father if he made this about him. She had every right to be pissed, confused, and broken-hearted.

"I’m… I’m sorry…" Jason choked. "I didn’t want to hurt you, baby girl. I didn’t. I forgot it had already been a couple of weeks. I thought I gave you a heads-up and… and you’d be ready…"

"Well I WASN’T!" Daisy shrieked. "Just give mom back her memories already! What the hell are you waiting for?! Why are you torturing me like this?"

"I already told you." Jason said, his tone numb with calmness. "It doesn’t work like that. I don’t want to kill the past Phoebe to bring the future Phoebe here. And it wouldn’t really be your mother anyway."

"She’d be real enough to ME!" Daisy said. "Just because you have some hangups about a stupid ethical dilemma, I’m not allowed to have a mom?! And what’s all this about erasing her memories? She’d still be the same person, dad! So what if she loses a few hours of memories – mom is mom! She was the same person while she was trapped under Bahamut’s spell, right?! So just make her real again! It’s not that hard!!"

Jason hung his head. He had lots of good logical arguments against his daughter’s words, but logic couldn’t win against emotion. Jason wanted Phoebe to return just as badly as Daisy did.

"Your mother died." Jason said quietly. "She died. I held her dead body. What right do I have to clone her, only to make myself feel better? It won’t undo the fact I failed her."

Daisy pulled her hands from her eyes. She looked at her father with a tear-stained face, her expression one of disbelief.

"That’s what this is about?! Your guilt?!" Daisy spat. "So because YOU screwed up, fuck me, then? I don’t get to have a mom?? Where’s the logic in that? I don’t care if I’m just talking to my mom’s memories, or her soul, or her future self, or anything else! I just want my mom, and you have the power to bring her back!"

"That’s NOT how it works!" Jason suddenly shouted, causing Daisy to flinch. "It doesn’t work that way, Daisy! I can’t just shove future-Phoebe’s memories inside of past Phoebe’s head. Put yourself in her shoes! Do you have any idea how bizarre that would feel to you?"

"I don’t see the problem!" Daisy retorted.

"Fine! Fine. Then I’ll explain it in a way you can understand." Jason said.

A moment of silence followed. Jason closed his eyes to collect his thoughts.

"Daisy. Listen. Imagine for a moment that a guy you’ve never met suddenly appears and says he’s your husband from the future. Imagine he puts memories of a future you don’t know in your head. Imagine that those memories seem sort of real, but they also equally feel like someone else’s memories. What do you think would happen?"

Jason didn’t give his daughter a chance to answer. "It would feel like you’d developed a personality disorder, as if two people were inhabiting one body! You would not become the person from the future, but would instead still be yourself, albeit with knowledge and thoughts and feelings that you never developed in person, all shoved inside your head! In the worst case scenario, it could lead to a form of mental psychosis, a complete break from reality!"

"M-mental… psychosis?" Daisy asked, feeling her heart sink.

"That’s right!" Jason said. "Not only would we not actually be bringing your mother back, we would be hurting the Phoebe of the past, bringing terrible harm upon her. The only way to actually properly ‘bring’ Phoebe of the future to the past is by eradicating the memories of this Phoebe entirely so she loses all sense of self. But that would cause harm to her soul, and the transplanted Phoebe STILL wouldn’t be your mother. She would ultimately just be a clone!"

"I don’t CARE if she’s just a clone!" Daisy said. "I just want my mom back, dad! Do the memory thing, just DO it! I know you can!"

Jason fell silent.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to do what his daughter said… but he and Daisy were different people. They had their own viewpoints on the situation.

"I can’t do that, sweetie." Jason said quietly. "I can’t bring harm to the Phoebe of this era just to sate our desires for a future that’s disappeared from the timeline. That would be… the height of selfishness."

"Dad, seriously?" Daisy pressed. "You have to do something! You can’t be okay with just bringing mom here and dancing around the truth! When she finds out, she’s going to be so pissed anyway!"

"I DON’T LIKE THIS ANY MORE THAN YOU DO!" Jason suddenly shouted, startling Daisy and making her retreat into the corner. "You think I don’t want my wife back? You think I like hurting you, making you look at your mother, knowing she’s not really your mother? Knowing I left you alone in this past, all by yourself, growing up in a hostile world?! Of course I hate it! I want nothing more than to snap my fingers and fix everything and get our happy little fucking family back together!!"

"D-dad…" Daisy said quietly, her shoulders trembling.

Jason inhaled and exhaled a few times. He looked away and massaged his temples.

He’d really done it, this time. He’d lost his temper and screamed at his daughter, the one person in the world he loved as much as Phoebe.

Jason felt wretched. Utterly contemptible. In that moment, he hated himself more than he did Gressil, Satan, Raphael, or any of the thousand other scumbags he’d come across in his life.

"I’m… I’m sorry… for yelling…" Jason said, as tears squeezed from his eyes. "I’m sorry, baby… I didn’t- daddy didn’t mean to yell."

Daisy fell silent. She lowered her eyes, a sinking feeling enveloping her mind and body.

"No… I’m sorry, dad…" Daisy mumbled, her mouth numb. "I shouldn’t… I’m being… such a little baby… I can’t… I don’t know what to do."

Seeing that her father had started to cry, Daisy felt just as terrible as he did.

Without another word, she moved toward her father, then hugged him, and he hugged her back.

Father and daughter embraced, both of them feeling absolutely awful, neither knowing how they could resolve the situation properly.

They only knew they had to try something, rather than waiting for the universe to fix itself…