Time was something precious, but also fragile.

Ada learned that the hard way when she was forced to make the most difficult choice of her entire life five years ago. It would be a big fat lie if she openly said that her decision didn't weigh on her as she aged. In fact, it was all she thought about every time she woke up from the recurring nightmare of witnessing the fall of her brother. There were times where she was too afraid to fall back asleep for fear of seeing her deceased brother haunting her dreams. It was an unbearable pain to endure for so long, but she felt as though she deserved it.

The Zane who took up the name Robin was the one who did everything in his power to change the fate of the world. He had to witness his own trauma, one of them being the death of Ada from his timeline, and fight for a safe future. His involvement with a criminal like Red Eye was what would be his greatest downfall no matter what timeline he entered; his own fate was sealed from the beginning, yet he embraced it rather than running away. That man died a hero before living long enough to become the villain he despised.

Not only that, but Gold and Silver were saved after Ada pulled the trigger on Zane. She was so happy to embrace them the moment she returned to her timeline. It was strange to recount her tale to them, especially because every word she spoke sounded so unreal. Both of her friends were unsure if they could believe it or not because of how peculiar it sounded. It didn't matter to Ada if they believed her or not; she was just glad to have them back.

Looking down at the grave with her exhausted violet eyes, Ada couldn't help but frown. Despite the mistakes he's made and the secrets he kept from her, Zane was still her brother. Watching him get shot the first time was difficult, but knowing she was the one to end him once and for all left her feeling unsettled. She had no right to be his executioner and she most certainly had no right to feel guilty. As much as she wanted to separate her feelings about him as her brother and a Team Rocket traitor, it was most certainly impossible.

How did the saying go? Blood was thicker than water? No. It was...

"Forever and always," Ada mumbled. "Just as Mom use to tell us. Those were the words we lived by."

She crouched down and placed a single white lily in a slightly dirty vase. Her eyes lingered on the name embossed on the hard rock, bringing her hand up to trace each letter with her fingers. The reality of her brother's death had sunk in, but every time she visited his grave, it felt unreal. Maybe it wasn't the nightmares that made her feel this way; the feeling of loss had begun to cloud her mind all the wrong ways possible. It was as if a certain darkness manifested by feeding off her guilt and sadness— a demon that wanted to pull her down toward the void of misery.

Taking a deep breath, Ada stood back up and left the cemetery. Gold had warned her beforehand that coming here wasn't such a good idea, but of course, she refused to listen. She thought he was overreacting, but now she understood what he meant. Ever since coming back from the other timeline, she hadn't been the same. She seemed to always be in a daze and her mind was clouded by dark thoughts.

The darkness within her had reached its peak at one point, almost taking her life had her friends not found her just in time to stop her. Gold and Silver figured it had to do with what she went through, but they wouldn't know— they weren't there to see it for themselves. Based on her drastic change in behavior, they believed she needed a special kind of help. The trauma she had was beyond what they could understand, but maybe there was someone who could perhaps ease her demons. Luckily, there was someone out there who could provide Ada the help she needed.

Both trainers accompanied her to see a therapist who believed could help her exorcise those demons that tried to take her life. Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to be with her during the session; they were forced to believe that everything would go smoothly. As long as things change for the better, Ada would be in good hands.

She waited in a small yet comfortable room. A simple desk was at the other side of the room, which was decorated with a vase filled with two small flowers, a sturdy book, and a photo of a man, woman, and child. Ada couldn't tell what their faces looked like considering how far away she was. The large leafy potted plant next to the desk didn't help the case either. A small wooden coffee table sat in the middle of the room with only a snow globe for decor. Different quotes and beautiful landscape photographs hung on the soft blue walls, but that's not what caught her attention; it was the largely framed diploma that hung next to a window that intrigued her.

A Ph.D. in psychology? Let's see if their superior knowledge can fix me, Ada thought to herself.

Overall, the room was plain but doable. She twiddled with her thumbs, occasionally shifting her eyes to the door for any signs of the therapist that claimed to be able to help her. If they end up not wanting to work with her after this session, she wouldn't blame them; her case was too complex.

Footsteps finally approached the door. Ada whipped her head over and watched as the doorknob twisted. A middle-aged man entered the room holding a briefcase and a small stack of papers. After closing the door behind him, he rushed to the coffee table to put down his things before introducing himself.

"You must be Ada Belhayre," he spoke in this kind voice that made people instantly trust them. "My name is Abraham Wallace and I'll be your therapist. Let's get to know each other a little more."

Ada reluctantly complied and answered his basic questions that allowed him to get to know the kind of person she was. Of course, the answers she provided were vague; she wasn't comfortable opening up to a stranger. Besides, his job was to help her get better, which would be difficult because there wasn't a single person in the world who understood the trauma she faced that day. People thought she had lost her mind, and she had lost it in a way, but it wasn't all in her head. She could relive that moment as if it happened over and over again.

Her mind went a distance away that Ada hadn't noticed she zoned out until Dr. Wallace waved a hand in front of her face. Ada blinked a few times before lifting her tired gaze to the man's face.

"Something is on your mind," he mused as he leaned back against his chair. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Ada shook her head.

"Is it something unpleasant?"

She shrugged.

"I see..." The therapist peered at his patient. "How would you describe your thoughts?"

"Endless..." Ada spoke in a soft and quiet voice.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"... You'd think I'm crazy if I told you," she said. "Nobody believes me. They all think I've gone insane after..."

"After what?" Dr. Wallace pried.

"After..." After I killed my own brother. "...My brother died."

"In this room, there's no judgment. I assure you that nothing you say in this room is crazy. Whatever is troubling you, I promise to help you through it with everything in my power."

Sounds an awful lot like what Dr. Troyard swore to me when he promised to save Zane, Ada thought to herself.

She dropped her gaze to her lap, fiddling with her fingers to distract herself. This man in front of her was beginning to make it difficult to keep it all in. His words were enough to make her less guarded, which she hadn't felt in a long time. Ada felt as though she could trust him, but the hesitation held her back. It was his profession to help troubled people get their life together after all.

He wasn't a miracle worker, but maybe she didn't need one. Maybe all she needed was someone to hear her out without looking at her like she was crazy.

"I... Um, I watched my brother get shot right before my very eyes," Ada began, immediately catching the therapist's attention. "I was so scared he was going to die that day, but he was able to get the help he needed to stay alive..."

She told him her story from beginning to end. She told him how she worked with her brother's attacker to go back in time and prevent an apocalyptic future in her timeline. She told him how she stopped her brother's attacker from killing him again. She told him how Zane woke up from his coma and was no longer the loving and caring brother she thought he was. She told him about the death of her friends and how the apocalypse almost killed her. She told him how she traveled through a wormhole with her brother's attacker to do what should've been done in the beginning.

And she most certainly told him about how her brother's attacker had been another version of her brother. What became difficult to say out loud was how she took her brother's life with one shot in the head.

"Looking at him at that moment, with those eyes filled with content, I knew that I wasn't getting back that Zane I grew up with. He was the only thing preventing a peaceful future for my timeline, and since I had a gun in my hand, I..." Ada took a deep breath. "I killed him. It was the only way to change the fate of many innocent people."

The whole time, Dr. Wallace remained very intrigued by Ada's story. He never once thought she was crazy or that she might've made the whole thing up. In fact, her story sounded an awful lot like the one he heard from a previous patient of his. Everything about Ada reminded him of that patient: the lifeless eyes, the reserved nature, and the fear of being looked at as though they were insane.

Then again, what else would be expected when one travels through the gates of time? This was the consequence of tampering with something beyond human control.

Time was too fragile to conquer.

THE END