The Council Member looked at the future version of Anomaly with wide eyes. "Mom?"

On the other side of the room, Connor gasped.

The older Anomaly's brilliant eyes locked on him, nodding approvingly. "Very good, Connor Temple."

Abby looked at Connor. "What did he say? Con? What did he say?"

Connor looked at Abby, his eyes wide. "He called her…" He pointed to both Anomalys. "Mom."

Gasps filled the air.

"He said it in English." Connor's eyebrows twisted in confusion. "Why didn't you hear it?"

Lester rolled his eyes. "That wasn't English."

Connor turned to the older Anomaly, who smiled. "Only you can understand."

He stepped forward, all eyes on him. "Why?"

The fourteen-year-old Anomaly raised an eyebrow. "He's not speaking English."

The older version beamed and shook her head. "No."

"He… he can speak our language?" The Council member swallowed.

The older Anomaly's eyes locked on his. "Yes. He can."

He swallowed again and hung his head, unable to meet her gaze.

The older version of Anomaly came over to her past self, carefully laying her hand on the teenager's. "You don't need that anymore." She gently took the chip from her hands.

Anomaly looked at herself. A single tear fell from her metallic blue eyes. "I just wanted it to be over." She whispered.

The older Anomaly smiled softly. "The very fact that I am here proves that this will end eventually. Like all bad things, there is some good."

She gestured to the ARC team. "How else would you have met them?" She pointed to Kierto. "How else would you have known that you would fall in love?"

Kierto smiled. "It's been too long, Anomaly."

The older Anomaly stepped up next to her husband. "Far too long." She agreed, wrapping her arms around him.

Connor paled. "You two are… together?"

Both Anomalys laughed. "Of course, Connor." The older one said. "How else would I have a son?" She gestured to the Council Member.

Connor turned to the teenager. "And you knew?"

She sighed. "Connor, I know too much about my future. You think this would be hidden from me?"

"But how? How can he be your husband? He's years older than you!"

Kierto laughed. "Right now."

"It's complicated, Con." The older Anomaly told him. "That's why I'm here. To show you." She extended a hand.

Connor looked at her. Over the years, something had changed about Anomaly. Her metallic blue eyes had always been cold, hard, full of hate and fear. Now, they held an air of royalty, grace, dignity. Her scars, which had always made her seem like a battle-weary solider, coming home from a dark and horrible war, now made her look strong, prepared for anything.

And, the most important thing, she didn't look so sad.

Anomaly had always been a depressing case. But this woman in front of him was smiling, beautiful and happy in every respect.

Carefully, slowly, he reached out to take her hand. He gave the rest of the ARC team a long look.

"Don't worry." The older Anomaly assured him. "You'll come back."

He sighed and took her hand.

She smiled and led him through the very anomaly she'd originally come through.

And the world disappeared around him.

"That's him?" Connor's voice was as quiet as a whisper as he looked at the small child.

Anomaly smiled and nodded. "That's my son."

The little boy looked up, a strange and amazing pattern decorating his face. His tiny eyebrows twisted in confusion. "Mommy? Who's he?" He pointed one small finger at Connor.

Anomaly smiled. "It's all right, Arklio. He's a friend."

The child smiled happily and nodded, turning back to the floor where he was stacking rocks.

"Arklio?" Connor turned to Anomaly as his mind translated the word. "Loyal one?"

Anomaly nodded. "Yes." She turned to him. "Why do you think I never said his name?"

His eyes widened. "Oh…" There was so much he wanted to say, so much to ask, but he could say no more than that.

She sighed. "It seemed to me that someone who betrayed the trust of creatures like the Loch Ness and Florlics, not to mention the trust of the people as he lied day after day, wasn't exactly worthy of the name Arklio."

He looked at her. "And what's your name?" He asked, hoping against all hope that she didn't get too angry, despite how the past version of her would react.

But Anomaly just closed her eyes and swallowed. "Artalia."

He swallowed. "Artalia… Artalis." The realization lit his eyes up.

She nodded. "My parents didn't name me after themselves. They named me after my city." She sighed deeply.

He said nothing. The cold look of her childhood had entered her metallic blue eyes. A single tear found its way down her cheek. She shook it off and turned to him again. "But I lived a life, Con. I had survived."

At that point, a young man with a pattern on his arm entered the room. His eyes widened. "Anomaly?" He asked.

She smiled. "I told you about this, Kierto."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh. That." He sighed. "Very well." He waved to Connor. "Hello."

Connor waved back. "Hi."

Anomaly beamed. "I told Kierto everything after we got married." She informed Connor. "He took it well. He wasn't even mad that I kept it from him. He knew I had secrets I just couldn't share." She turned back to the anomaly and held her hand out again. "Shall we?"

He nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.

And they went through the anomaly.

"Connor? What happened?" Abby came up next to him.

"Too much." He replied in English. "I'll explain later."

"I'd prefer now." Lester snapped.

Connor sighed and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, everything seemed so… trivial. Perhaps Anomaly's personality was rubbing off on him. "Anomaly, the teenager, went back in time. She fell in love with Kierto at the same age, got married, had a life, and had a kid. That child became The Council Member, whose real name is Arklio." He gestured to the aforementioned Council Member. "He grew up and another child was born. That was Anomaly."

"I'm so confused." Jenny sighed.

Cutter smiled. "I'm not."

She glared at him.

He just grinned back.

"You may call me Artalia." The older Anomaly said. "I know my past self would never agree to that, and it would be easier for everyone to know the difference when they're speaking." She smiled.

Anomaly said nothing, a darkness in her eyes that indicated the truth in Artalia's words.

Arklio glared at Artalia. "Where were you?" He demanded. "When I was a child. Where did you go?"

She turned to face him, her metallic eyes cold. "I was coming here. That was the whole plan."

"Plan?" He snarled. "Plan? What do I care of your plans?" There was a deep desperation in his eyes, past the rage and hate. "You left me!"

Artalia looked at her son. She sighed deeply, tears pricking her eyes. "Say it."

"Istaria Fortalia!" Arklio screeched, knife in hand.

Connor gasped.

Abby looked at him. "What? What is it?"

Connor was pale. "He… he wants her to die."

Anomaly nodded. "Istaria Fortalia is a battle cry, Abby. It's a challenge. A duel to the death, so to speak."

Artalia pulled her knife out slowly. "Itrana, Arklio."

"Very well, Arklio." Connor translated.

Abby took a step back. "We can't let them kill each other!"

Anomaly stopped her from rushing towards the two. "No, Abby! Don't you see? This is my battle. It always has been."

Abby grabbed the teenager by the shoulders. "But I am your friend, Anomaly. And friends don't let friends kill their sons."

Anomaly's eyes were full of pain. "Who says I'm going to kill him?"

Abby took an involuntary step back. "No."

Anomaly nodded. "Yes."

"Anomaly, you can't let yourself do this!"

"Who says?" Anomaly demanded, her hand sparkling with electricity. "Who says I can't just get this over with? Who says I can't just die already?"

It was the hardest battle ever fought by Artalia.

Predators were little comparison to her son. Years of practice had sharpened his skill. He was faster than most people would have thought possible. His blade lashed out and she dodged, back and forth, disappearing in a lethal blur of blades and fury.

She leapt back, her lip bleeding, sweat pouring down her face. "Had enough?"

"Never!" He screeched. "You left me! You left me alone!" He raced at her again, blade glinting in the light.

She danced to the side. "Don't you get it? I had to! Or time would collapse, and we could all die!"

"NO!" He cried. "No! Nothing should be more important!" The blade whizzed by her throat, a hair's breadth away. "You always told me that nothing was more important to you than me!"

"It was true!" She cried, her blade locking with his. "I love you, Arklio!"

"No, Anomaly!" The fury of the battle raced through his veins, and the knife twisted around his mother's, forcing it away from her hand. He planted a kick in her chest, effectively cracking a rib and throwing her to the ground.

"NO!" Abby cried, trying to get away from Anomaly, who was holding her back.

But Arklio wasn't listening. He placed a foot on Artalia's chest and held the knife's point at her throat. He had bloody cuts on his face, deep red gashes on his arm.

But Artalia was no better. Her face was crimson with dark blood. She was panting heavily, blood and sweat covering her arms.

"But the worst part was learning about her." He gestured to Anomaly. "The fact that my mother was this… this thing!"

Anomaly swallowed. "Finish it, Arklio."

"Silence!" He roared. "You never let me speak!"

Artalia's eyes widened, shock filling her features.

"You never talked to me!" Arklio's face was filled with pain and hate. "You never asked me! You never wanted me to know about this!" His knife pressed against her throat, causing a trickle of blood to flow. "You never told me. And that's why I hate you. Not because you left. Not because I thought you were a criminal." A single tear fell down his cheek. "Because you lied to me. You never told me when you should have." He looked at her for a long time, taking his foot from her chest, but keeping his blade at her throat. "I would have been all right." He whispered. "I would have understood. But you didn't tell me."

Artalia looked at her son. "Oh, Arklio. I wish I could have."

"It's too late for wishes."

He raised the knife.

"Arklio, wait."

Arklio turned to Anomaly. It was the first time in six years that she'd ever called him by his name. Tears were in her eyes.

"Why should I?" He demanded.

"Because you were named for a reason, Loyal One." She pulled out her knife and set it on the ground. "And I believe I know that reason."

Connor hurriedly translated for everyone, and kept doing so.

Anomaly sighed. "I know what you're feeling. You place your complete trust in someone. You are loyal. You always will be." Her eyes closed. "I was the same way, once. Until something happened that changed everything." She swallowed. "His name was Sam."

Arklio glared at her. "Does that matter?" he demanded.

She looked him in the eye. "Yes, son. It matters. Because I loved Sam. I trusted him. And when that trust is shattered, it destroys you on a level you never completely understand." She sighed. "Kill her if you want, but it will not heal you." Tears burned her eyes. "Because, when the day comes, you can never say 'I forgive you.'"

"That day will never come." Arklio hissed.

"You think that." Anomaly replied. "But you never know how wrong you are."

He swallowed and turned to Artalia, lying on the ground in front of him.

He raised the knife once more, and brought it down.

It landed inches from her throat, digging into the ground and sparkling with electricity.

He knelt down on the ground, then collapsed, lying on his back. He couldn't catch his breath, and he couldn't stop the tears that flowed from his eyes.

Kierto sat next to his son, and next to his wife. Artalia wrapped her arm around Arklio. For a moment, he was nothing but a young child again; sobbing into his parent's outstretched arms.

At last, they were a family again.