Resetting For You - Chapter 1 - A Time Traveler's Beginnings

"Mommy, why do you and Daddy always carry around that funny, big clock?" Amelia Watson asked her parents. Her mom, Nancy Watson, laughed a little.

"They're used for telling time, sweetie," she responded.

"But it's so big and my watch does the same thing," Amelia showed her tiny kid's watch to her mom. She displayed it proudly with a smile.

"That is true, but this one can do a lot more," Nancy pulled the large pocket watch out from her pocket.

"What can it do?!" her daughter excitedly asked. She bounced up and down waiting for the answer. Nancy thought for a second.

"Well, it can also tell you the day and month," she pointed at the small date indicator on the right side of the watch face. Amelia's expression grew into one of amazement. Anything new and interesting would make an eleven year old excited after all.

"Wow! Can I have one like that?" she turned and asked her mom. Nancy chuckled.

"Someday, sweetie." Amelia's face turned into a pout. Her mom ruffled her short blonde hair playfully in response.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be safe to give you one of those yet," her dad, Arthur Watson, chimed in. He walked into the kitchen with the last little member of their family, Johnny Watson, in tow. Amelia's little brother was turning nine soon.

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked her dad. He looked at his wife and got a slightly displeased expression.

"We can talk about that later," he deflected his daughter's question. She didn't seem very happy with the answer she'd been given.

"That's not fair," she stopped in place a little.

"Yeah, I want to know, too," Johnny pulled on his dad's pant leg. The two kids began to chant and yell at both of their parent's about wanting to know now. Their parent's sighed.

"Ok, ok, calm down you two," Nancy spoke above her rioting children. They both stopped what they were doing and looked at their mom. "Arthur, you explain this."

"Um, kids, it's a special watch that does special things," he began.

"Yeah it can tell what day and month it is," Amelia loudly proclaimed to her brother. His face lit up with the same expression Amelia displayed when she was told this.

"Yes it can do that, but I need you both to not tell anyone about anything I'm going to tell you," he put a finger to his lips and smiled.

"I can keep a secret," both Amelia and Johnny spoke at the same time.

"You see, it can make you go back in time, too." The excitement on the two kid's faces grew tenfold in that moment.

"What?!" both of their young voices screeched.

"Both me and your mom were planning on telling you when you were a lot older. We wanted to show you what it could do-" he was interrupted by his kids again.

"Show us, show us." Nancy was impressed by Amelia and Johnny's ability to say the exact same things at the exact same time. Arthur sighed.

"I can't show you," both kids opened their mouths to begin rioting again, but they were silenced by their dad raising his voice, "It is dangerous. When you both get older, we can show you how it works, but right now you are both far too young."

Neither kid was scared by their dad's harsher tone, but they knew that it meant they shouldn't continue to push for more answers.

"Ok…" both of them said, defeated. Nancy crouched down in between them both.

"I promise that we will show you, but you need to not tell anyone about it," she said. The kids agreed to this.

Three years passed before that topic was mentioned again. It was the day after Amelia's 14th birthday. Both of her parents approached her after school.

"So, how are things going at high school?" Her dad asked.

"New semester is always fun," she answered sarcastically. It had been obvious for a while that Amelia didn't enjoy school. Her dad laughed.

"Well, I'm sure I have something that can cheer you up." Amelia looked at him confused. She didn't know they had a late birthday present for her.

"Remember that conversation we had a few years back about this," Nancy pulled out the pocket watch. Amelia's eyes widened, remembering every second of that conversation.

"Are you going to finally tell me?!" she asked loudly.

"Yes, we are. Your brother will get this gift on his 14th birthday, too," her dad explained.

"Why did I need to wait anyway?" Both her parents glanced at each other with nervous smiles.

"I hope your brain isn't too fried from school."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"To answer your previous question," Arthur began, "We needed to wait because time travelers don't age properly."

Nancy nodded, "Me and your father aren't in our mid-forties. We are probably close to 150 years old by now."

"Are you really including those couple decades we spent in Rome?" Arthur seemed displeased.

Amelia was floored, "WHAT?!" she yelled.

"We haven't actually been around that long. Your mother included the time we've spent in the past, too. Both of us were born in 1887."

"WHAT!?"

Maybe they should move this conversation to a place where they wouldn't risk a noise complaint.

"Calm down Amelia, you don't need to scream so much," Nancy walked her daughter over to the couch.

"Maybe we shouldn't have led with that…" Arthur mumbled, earning him a glare from his wife.

"So time travelers age slower than normal? You guys barely look thirty," Ame said in a quieter tone.

"Yes, we didn't want you and your brother looking like you're fifteen in college," Arthur was glad this conversation was going somewhere again.

"So if you guys have traveled so much, why aren't you in any history books?"

"Time isn't one single line Amelia," Nancy drew a line in the air with her finger. Amelia looked on with curiosity.

"It is an infinite amount of lines all branching off from one another. Every time you make a decision, time splits. In one timeline you made the first decision, in another you made the other." She began to draw multiple lines in the air. Amelia nodded slightly.

"Like if I don't know what to wear," she thought out loud. Her parents confirmed her thoughts.

"So when me and your mom go back in time, we create a new timeline that doesn't affect anything today," Arthur finished his point.

"Can you guys do anything in the past then?"

"Effectively yes," Nancy said, "We can even bring things back to the present with us."

"Wow," Amelia tried to keep her screaming internally this time.

"Another symptom of time travel is this," Amelia looked over at her dad and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her dad currently had three arms, although one looked fuzzy and out of focus. "Although it takes a serious amount of practice and focus. We can even phase through things."

"We don't need more surprises right now, Arthur," Nancy was not happy with the display. Arthur immediately retracted the third arm and began whistling.

Once Amelia had calmed down enough, she tried to voice her million thoughts, "What was that?!"

"That was your father having a little fun with uncertainty," her mom began to explain, "Time travelers are in an interesting state called Destabilization after they first travel. It only gets stronger with each trip to and from the past. What your father did was make a decision and have both outcomes happen at the same time."

"I'm a little lost," Amelia's brain had been properly fried.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to grow another arm, too," Arthur commented. Nancy ignored him.

"If you do something, anything, all of the outcomes happen in separate timelines. If you use your Destabilized state, you can make multiple outcomes happen at the same time."

"And it gets easier the more you time travel, too?" Amelia asked. Nancy nodded.

"Yes, we can also phase through walls by making the timeline unsure about where we are. Although that is much more advanced, so don't expect to be able to do it anytime soon." Amelia nodded with her vague sense of understanding.

"I guess we should actually time travel now. But one thing first," Nancy's tone of voice shifted to one of dead seriousness, "Don't ever lose or break the time watch. It has a crystal in it that can release enough energy to put the world's nuclear arsenal to shame."

"Also you would get stuck in the past," Arthur's comment was actually fairly useful this time.

Amelia nodded, "I'll be careful mom."

"Alright," Nancy pushed her way off the couch, "Let's get moving"

"Where are we going, or is it, when are we going?" Amelia's question made both her parent's chuckle.

"We will be going to Rome in the early third century," Nancy answered. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"We get to choose where we go, too?"

"Yes, otherwise this thing wouldn't be nearly as useful," Nancy grabbed Amelia and Arthur's hands and clicked the top of the time watch.

Everything around Amelia turned to a fuzzy blur in an instant. It was similar to how her father's second arm had looked, except now it was the entire world. Soon that faded into a new setting. A bricked street replaced her carpet floor. The walls of her house were suddenly made of stone and concrete. The voices of people speaking another language filled her ears.

"Normally we don't show ourselves too much in public, so don't draw too much attention to yourself," Nancy said with a smile. She loved the look of amazement on his daughter's face.

"This is amazing…" Amelia didn't even want to scream. Screaming would destroy the perfect atmosphere around her.

"Now, who wants to see a gladiator match?" Arthur said with excitement. He pulled a bag of coins out from his pocket.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nancy looked at him with utter confusion. She gestured to their fourteen year old daughter.

"Well, maybe that isn't the best idea now that you mention it…"

She would never forget that feeling. Unfortunately her parents didn't allow her on too many other adventures. Stupid slow-aging side effect. The actual job her parents had was one of detectives. They solved unsolvable mysteries from all around time, wrote incredibly accurate history books, and gave amazingly pristine artifacts to museums. All of this made money a non-issue for them a long time ago.

Some more years ticked by until Amelia was seventeen in high school. She looked and physically was sixteen at that point, but no one else needed to know that. It was also now the day after her brother's 14th birthday. Her and her brother knew what this meant. Amelia hadn't exactly been quiet about it.

This excitement allowed Amelia to walk into her now familiar high school with a little more pep in her step. It was a couple months after she started her junior year or 11th grade. She moved through the crowded halls, as students and teachers flowed towards their destination. Soon this day of school would be over and she could have some more fun in the past.

A small commotion began off to her left. Looking over, she saw a teacher scolding a couple who had probably just been making out. She always tried to look away from those kinds of scenes. It made her a little uncomfortable.

'Jealousy,' the word popped into her head. Her face moved to a slight pout. Maybe she was, but that was normal right? It was almost time for her second class of the day to start, so she hurried along.

The classroom had neatly arranged tables all facing the front, where the teacher sat behind her desk. Her name was Mrs. Lange. She wasn't Amelia's favorite teacher, but she wasn't the worst either.

Amelia began walking toward her table and saw her tablemate, Ninomae Ina'nis, smiling at her. Everyone just called her Ina, though. They shared a couple other classes and had gotten to know each other. Amelia considered herself very lucky to have her here. Otherwise, she'd have been stuck in a class she didn't really enjoy with people she didn't know. This class was just an elective filler for her. Being so far ahead in math and science had its downsides.

She threw herself into the seat next to the other girl.

"Oh hey Ame, you're here early," Ina was surprised by the normally late Amelia Watson.

"Yeah, I wasn't up too late last night," Amelia nervously fidgeted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. Ina laughed a bit.

"Reeeeally? Your boyfriend didn't keep you up last night?" Ina probed her, resting her chin on her hand. A smirk spread replaced her once kind smile. Amelia felt her face get warm.

"Uh, yeah definitely. I have one of those," Amelia tried to counter with her own quips. It failed horribly.

"So, have you guys gone all the way yet?" Ina leaned forward and continued to pressure her friend. Amelia knew where this was going.

"Huh, what are you… *hic*" And there it was. Ina stifled her laugh, as Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, ehehe, I just love hearing that," Ina tried to stop herself from laughing. It had become a joke to try and get Amelia to hiccup out of nervousness. She didn't mind the teasing, but it was still an embarrassing habit of hers.

"Oh yeah? How about if I do this?" Amelia grabbed some of Ina's hair and started to mess with it. Ina's laughter was replaced by a slight yelp. Now it was Amelia's turn to laugh. She knew how Ina didn't like people touching her hair, so that was her own way of teasing.

Ina pouted a little bit before also beginning to laugh again. This class seemed like it was going to be a good one.

The bell rang for class to start a short while later. The teacher didn't really move, seemingly giving some of the late kids time to get in the classroom. A few more kids did run through the door before she eventually got up and closed it.

"Hello everyone, my name is Mrs. Lange and I have a special announcement before we get started," she was a pretty quiet teacher. She also seemed slightly reserved in her demeanor.

"I would like you all to give a short introduction about yourself. We have a new transfer student that would like to get to know you all. Let's start from the back," Mrs. Lange said.

A short girl waved from the front, seemingly unphased by the many eyes on her. She seemed very short, probably close to five feet tall. Her hair was bleached white with blue highlights. Blue eyes matched Amelia's own. Her smile was unreasonably bright.

Amelia put her forehead gently on the edge of the table. She hated these things, especially when a cute girl was involved. Ina patted her on the back in an attempt to comfort her.

One by one, each student stood up and introduced themselves. Some were barely able to get out a word, while others gave a whole speech. Ina fell somewhere in between, giving a short but sweet introduction. Amelia was up next and knew she was going to suck, badly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine." The few words of encouragement from her friend did little to calm her nerves. She took a breath and stood up.

"Uh, hello. My name is *hic*"

Shit.

"My name is Amelia Watson and I like editing photos," she finished and shot back into her seat with lightning speed. A few giggles spread around the room, probably about her hiccup. Amelia put her burning red face behind her arms and slumped onto her desk.

"You did good. The hiccup was cute," Ina both comforted and teased her at the same time.

"Ugh, god damn it. You're not helping here Ina..." she groaned into her arms. Ina patted her on the back, again.

More kids introduced themselves, but Amelia barely listened at this point. She was already socially burnt out. It was only when everyone finished and the cute transfer student stood up that she perked back up.

"Hello everyone! My name is Gawr Gura! I just moved from Atlanta. I look forward to working with all of you!" she practically bounced in place from her sheer excitement.

Amelia's heart skipped a beat. This new girl not only looked cute, but acted cute, too! Amelia short circuited and collapsed onto her desk. A few boys in her class did the same. A slight smoke trail wafted away from all of them.

Gura happily made her way over to her seat in the front row. Amelia picked her head up when the gears in her head began turning again. A social resolve filled her in that moment.

'I must talk to her!'

That was easier said than done. The rest of the class period was spent going over a new project and expectations, blah blah. The class period soon ended and they were all dismissed.

Gura was immediately swarmed by a few of her classmates, including Ina. They all asked her questions and some even tried to get her phone number. She was flattered and tried to answer them while still making her way out the door.

It looked like Amelia wouldn't be able to talk to her right now. She sighed and made her way out the door, carefully avoiding the ever growing crowd of people around Gura.

The halls were busy, but not too crowded. It was a nice balance that allowed Amelia to get to her locker quickly. She packed up some of her stuff and got ready to head to her next class. Maybe she would get to see Gura later? If she was a new transfer student she might be in some of her other classes.

A tap on her shoulder made her jump in place. She turned around and saw the girl she had just been thinking about standing behind her.

"Hey, do you know what time it is?" she asked. Her pure blue eyes cut straight into Amelia's heart. "Sorry, I don't have my phone with me and I need to know how much longer I have till class starts."

"Um, *hic*" Amelia dug her phone out of her bag, fumbling with it on the way out. All the while, Gura looked at her with the eyes of a curious puppy. It was adorable, but it also made Amelia feel increasingly embarrassed.

"I-It's 11:34 *hic*" she said with a stutter. Gura stared at her for a moment longer before her facial expression shifted into a happy smile.

"Ah thanks! So I have…" she trailed off and started to count on her fingers. Amelia's embarrassment began to calm down as she watched this girl struggle to do basic math on her fingers.

"We have six minutes until the next class. It starts at noon on the dot," her nervous hiccups vanished for a moment. Gura looked up at her with amazement.

"Wow, you're really fast at math! Thanks!" Gura said as she waved goodbye and skipped down the hall. Amelia gave an awkward wave back and began hiccuping again.

Putting her hands to her face, she felt the heat radiating off of her. She could only imagine how red she must be. That was enough social confrontation for today.

Author's Note: This is a cross-post from AO3. It was originally posted under the title of Resetting For You in a series called Corrupted Timelines. However since FFN doesn't have a way to put multiple stories into a bigger series, I am just going to combine them all into one. The title at the start of each chapter will reflect which story I am currently on. Currently, this story isn't finished on AO3 either, but it has a backlog of over 20 chapters. It will be getting uploaded every Friday.

Next Chapter: Johnny's first time travel adventure!

Any feedback/criticism is appreciated!