"Dad! Dad! It's me! It's me! We're here! Mom and I are here!" "Sasha, wait!" My hand automatically extended out to grab him, but it was too late. Oh Jesus Christ, it was too late. I watched in terror as my one and only child dashed towards this duo; this mother-son pair. They appeared to be mother and son, since the woman was much older than the man. But I already knew exactly who they were. The man my boy raced to with open arms was indeed Anthony Bridgerton.

Anthony Bridgerton. How does one describe such a man? Such a human? God….. He's even more stunning in real-life. His pictures online don't do him justice; he's far too gorgeous to be in any picture, less than the movies. I couldn't believe that such a creature, such an Adonis would be the father of my child…..

And my future husband.

Or well, he would theoretically be if this whole profoundly absurd situation didn't scare him off. All the adults froze, staring at the elated boy approaching Anthony with the biggest smile on his face. He looked like he expected his father to catch him in his own arms; a gesture which told me that Anthony did so a lot in Sasha's own timeline. When he failed to do so now, Sasha stopped running, blinking up to his father all confused.

"Dad? Dad, what's wrong?" His tiny head cocked slightly to the side. Anthony's jaw hung open and his eyes were enormous. He did NOT look happy, making me cry inside. His forefinger pointed down at our son as he suddenly glanced around, as if seeking some kind of explanation for the abrupt encounter.

"Whose kid is this?" Anthony demanded. Didn't really want those few words to be the first I've heard from him….. Sasha's expression morphed from overjoyed, to perplexed, to horrified. I doubt it's dawned on him that THIS Anthony wouldn't recognize him….. or me, for that matter. In his mind, his logic made perfect sense; he's never known a world where his father hadn't known him as well. I was the one exception, since we'd never officially met before, but he couldn't comprehend why his father, grandmother, and aunt didn't immediately know who he was. He was so muddled, gazing up at his father wide-eyed and alarmed.

"D-Dad, it's me; it's Sasha. YOUR son. Don't you remember me?" Both Anthony and Violet, his mother the internet told me, ogled little Sasha with their mouths hanging open; I bet they were so shell-shocked that they weren't able to say anything. Edwina was the only one who could move, glaring to me very, VERY harshly. "Kate, what's wrong with that kid?! Why does he think Anthony's his dad?!" "Uhhhhhhhhhh…." "Why is he saying that Anthony is his dad, Kate?!" She demanded again, and Sasha cut in. "Because he IS my dad! Dad! Dad look, Mom and I just flew to London today. See, look! She's here with me. See?! Here's Mom!" Growing eager again, Sasha ran over to take hold of my hand. He practically tried to tear my arm off, dragging me towards his father. Neither Anthony nor I said anything while Sasha brought me very near him, beaming proudly once we were close together. "See Daddy? You've always said you'd give anything to see Mom again, so I've brought her here to you! Aren't you happy?! You get to see her again! Now we finally get to be together, just the three of us! Just like I've always wanted! See?!"

Oh, my sweet, sweet Sasha. Anthony's face had the appearance of being hit by a train. He was ghost white and not holding our son's hand back as Sasha clung to both of ours. Edwina also was shaken, gawking at the boy speechless. Only his grandmother found enough sense to break the immense tension surrounding us all- to which Sasha was blissfully unaware. To my surprise, Violet's head spun in my direction. "Is he yours?" She asked me in a low voice and I turned to her, opening my lips a sliver to answer, but nothing came our right away. Sasha took the opportunity to speak on my behalf again, also glancing to his grandmother.

"What do you mean? You know Kate's my mom…. Don't you, grandma?" "Excuse me?!" Her attention swiftly turned to a puzzled Sasha, who tilted his head in confusion a second time. That's when Anthony finally pulled himself together, now glaring harshly my way. "Excuse me, ma'am. Does this precocious boy belong to you?" "What does "precocious" mean?" Sasha quired his father, earning also a stern look before returning said glare back to me. "Well?!"

I rubbed the back of my neck super uncomfortably. "Uh, well yes, technically…" Our son rolled his eyes dramatically like this was the most obvious fact in the world. "Duh! Course she's my mom. Don't you know that…. Dad?" That's the moment when I think Sasha was starting to clock that something was off. He began to eye his father very intently. Meanwhile Anthony was glaring razor-sharp daggers at me. "Did you tell him I was his father?!" "No, of course not!" I shouted back defensively. "Then why does he keep calling me "dad"?!" "Yeah, you wanna explain that one, Kate?" Edwina crossed her arms, also glaring sharply straight at me. "You know this woman?" Anthony's head then spun to my sister, who looked back his way. "Yeah, she's my older sister." "Your sister?!" Both Anthony and Violet audibly gasped, wearing shell-shocked expressions again. That's also when I started to clock some things too…..

"Wait. You know him?" My question was directed at Edwina while my forefinger pointed to Anthony. Oh man, the disgusted look she shot me just now….. "Course I know him. He's my fiancé," she exclaimed this and my heart skipped a beat. A very horrified, scandalized beat. Wait so…. My future husband is currently engaged to….. to MY SISTER?! Was this always the case, even in Sasha's own timeline? Does that make me a homewrecker? Oh my god….

No one told me that he was presently betrothed, and to my sister of all people!

While I looked to be having a sudden mini panic attack, Sasha kept eying his dad suspiciously- something he and Violet caught onto. "Dad, what's wrong? Aren't you happy Mom's here? You said you wanted to see her again." Anthony fired off an unimpressed glare his way. "Look, would you stop calling that, kid? I'm NOT your dad." Sasha's eyes enlarged so huge, apparently unexpecting to hear that from him. His small lips stammered slightly as he goggled up in absolute horror. "W-What do you mean? You ARE my dad. You're the one who knows me; Mom's never met me before." "How can he know you? He's never met you before," Edwina butted in on Anthony's behalf. Sasha' mouth kept on sputtering uncontrollably as he blinked from her back to his father. With tears forming in the corner of his eyes, he turned on his heels and came to me with his arms spread out seeking comfort.

"Mom, why's Dad talking like this?" "Sweetie, remember when Mommy said that she and Daddy haven't met yet?" I caught him in my arms, hugging his trembling body. He nibbled his thumb anxiously, keeping his eyes wide open. "But he KNOWS me! He's always known me. He was there when I made my birthday wish…" "That was in the future; you haven't been born yet, honey."

This statement caused everyone, minus Sasha, to gawk at me like I was insane. Utterly insane. Maintain a firm stare, Violet leaned over to whisper not-so-quietly to Edwina. "Is your sister…. alright?" "I don't know. Last I checked, she wasn't crazy." "My mom's NOT crazy! You're all the ones who don't know what's going on here!" My son abruptly lashed out in my defence. Anthony frowned, glancing to his mother and Edwina. "I think we should call the police."

"No!" My eyes got huge as I protectively positioned myself in between Sasha and them. He clung to my leg, still glaring angrily at his father. "Kate?" Edwina questioned but I bundled up my son in my arms hurriedly. "We'll go, we'll go. Come on, Sasha." "No! I don't wanna go! I've waited my whole life to have both my parents be together. Just talk to Dad! He'll get it!" "It doesn't work that way, honey. Now we need to go, NOW!" I grabbed onto his hand, trying to yank him away. But of course, my strong-willed kid was having none of it. In a fury of tears, he ripped his hand out of mine and looked toward his dad again with determination. His tiny hands balled into clenched fists.

"What's wrong with you?! You lied to me! You said you'd give anything to see Mom again! You said you wanted me to meet her! I brought her here! She's here now! We're together finally, but you don't care! You lied!" Sasha pointed an accusatory finger straight at Anthony. He spoke with such conviction that Violet was visibly shaken. Starting to sense that something was up, she slowly knelt down to Sasha's eyelevel. "What are you talking about? What do you mean "he lied to you"?" "He did! Ever since I was a baby, Dad's missed Mom, or that's what he said. Every morning he'd bring Mom's favourite flowers, roses, to her grave, right beside Grandpa's in the backyard."

I have no idea why, but this shocked both Anthony and Violet, who flinched stunned. "T-The backyard…..?" Violet reiterated, and Sasha nodded firmly. "In the back, right underneath the tree, where you bring lilc-…. Lil-….. Lilacs every morning!" His fingers snapped once he got it. Violet and Anthony looked at each other before the former returned her full attention back to my son. "We've never told anyone that Edmund's favoured lilacs. How do you know that? Where did you come from again?" "Well, I just came from Toronto- in Canada, I think?- with Mom today, but I was back home three days ago." "Where's home?" "With you, here in London. I used my birthday wish to meet Mom; I already knew you and Dad and Aunt Edwina…" He began twiddling his thumbs together.

Violet could only stare at the child, trying desperately to put the pieces together. "What are you saying? That you know us already?" But before Sasha could answer his father interrupted with a massive eyeroll and toss of the arms. "Course he doesn't! I've never met this kid before in my life!" "Yes, you have! You've known me since I was a baby!" "Sasha, you're NOT born yet. Daddy doesn't know you in this timeline yet," I tried, AGAIN, to explain this concept to him, which he still wasn't getting. "This timeline?" Violet's eyebrow raised as she tilted her head up at me puzzled. Anthony huffed again, spinning on his heel and planting his hands firmly on his hips. "This is ridiculous! So what if he knows that Dad like lilacs. He could have found that out any way!"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose and wincing my eyes shut. Only Violet seemed to be mildly- very mildly- receptive to all this, so I decided to speak to her directly. Maybe she could help us if I told her the truth… Maybe. It was worth a shot, I naively believed. Sucking in a deep breath to steady myself, I proceeded to look her in the eye.

"Ok, let me explain what's going on. Three days ago, I was living in Toronto trying to find a job; I recently graduated from PhD." Anthony tisked, rolling his eyes yet again and crossing his arms. "How'd you manage that if you're willing to believe this horse…. stuff?" At least he attempted to censor his language in front of our son. Ignore him, Kate; he's just as confused and startled as you were three days ago. Speaking of which… "Now you're not going to believe me, but….. I woke up one morning to find a…. a kid in my room." "Kate!" Edwina gasped scandalized but I hurried to explain myself. "He's MY kid, Edwina! We've done a DNA test! He just… showed up outta nowhere at my place." "Yeah, cause I wished to see Mom when I blew out my birthday candles," Sasha helpfully clarified. Violet looked VERY suspicious but didn't say anything. Edwina, however, followed her fiancé's suit and rolled her eyes completely unimpressed. "So you're saying that he's from the future? Is that it?" I inhaled deeply again, holding my breath before forcing a "yes". Oh boy, did that not turn over well…

"Kate, what's wrong with you?! You're a PhD! You, of all people, should know that time travel's impossible!" "Then explain why he's here, Edwina! It's just like you said, I've never been pregnant before! And yet, the test says he's 99.9% MINE! How's that possible?!" "You didn't donate any eggs?!" "Of course not! And I doubt Anthony's been donating…. anything either!" I probably shouldn't have said that, but yeah. Edwina's face contorted with utter disgust again as her back straightened up. Her lips pursed together irate. "Are you SURE Anthony's the father? How can you know that without a parental test?"

"What do you mean? He's MY Dad," Sasha interrupted, only to receive a furious glare. "Stay out of this, kid!" "Hey! Don't yell at my son like that!" "Your son! I don't believe it! This is too wild to be real. You've probably coached this kid on what to say," Edwina chimed and I felt a blood vessel burst in my head. My fingers twitched uncontrollably as I reached for my son's hand. "If that's how you feel, then fine! I don't need to convince you of anything. I'll take Sasha home and raise him on my own. He doesn't need this kind of stress!" "You started this when you came here to London!" Edwina's pointed finger lifted to my direction. "I only came here because Sasha wanted me to meet his dad! How was I supposed to know that he's engaged to you?!"

"Stop calling me his "dad"! There's no possible way that I'm the father!" Anthony shouted, joining in the argument. Edwina sided with him, carrying on her punishing glare. "You see?! You're the one that's wrong here, Kate!" "Then sure, I'm wrong! I'll take Sasha and leave! I promise, you'll never hear from us again!" "But Mom! We came here to see Dad!" My son interjected and I gazed down at him, softening my expression. "Sweetheart, he doesn't know us, and by the sounds of it, he doesn't want to." Anthony snorted, crossing his arms a second time. "I don't make a habit of entertaining lairs or insane personale."

I'd never seen little Sasha's face turn so red before. All of a sudden, he fired off a vicious glare at his dad, clenching his hands again. If looks could kill….. "Did you just call Mom a lair?" Anthony's head tilted down at the boy, but he didn't answer. Sasha was beyond angry, glaring so intensely at Anthony; I'd never seen a child that mad before. That's when his accusatory finger pointed his way again as Sasha raised his little voice.

"You're not my dad! You only look like him! My dad would NEVER say anything bad about my mom! He LOVES her! He loves her very much! And he loves me too! But you….. You're just a bad guy! Mom wouldn't marry you; my dad's much nicer! He's the one we're looking for! Not you!"

Everyone stood around speechless until Sasha finished his brief rant. After crying at the top of his lungs and tears steadily streaming down his cheeks, he wiped his nose with his sleeve. Then, with as much pride as he could muster, he spun around, marching over to take hold of my hand. They all watched as he started to pull me away from the scene with his head held high. "Come on, Mom. Let's go find Dad." "W-Wait, Sasha! Hang on a minute!" But he kept on dragging me with resolution. "He's not MY dad. We got the wrong Anthony Bridgerton."

Edwina tisked, rolling her eyes dramatically. "How many Anthony Bridgertons does he think live in London?" But Anthony and Violet didn't appear as sure anymore….. It was particularly Violet who watched my kid leave. The longer she looked at him, analysed his appearance, the deeper this sinking feeling in her gut gnawed away at her. Worried, her hand suddenly extended out to us before we were able to make it too far away from them.

"Wait! Sasha- that's your name, right?- which "Anthony Bridgerton" are you looking for exactly?" Sasha paused to think a moment. "One that's much nicer. MY dad has seven brothers and sisters, and a mom but not a dad. He likes outdoor sports and spending time with his family, but he doesn't like to read. And he always carries a pocket watch that used to belong to Grandpa, which he said he'll give to me someday when I'm older… Oh! And he's really afraid of bees but isn't allergic to them like Grandpa and me." "You're allergic to bees?" I inquired to my son, raising my eyebrow; I wasn't aware of that fact. Meanwhile Violet's face went white as a ghost; even Anthony's whole demeanour changed. The only one who still seemed confused was Edwina, who was watching her fiancé's flabbergasted face now. "Anthony, what's wrong?"

Giving his "father" one last glare, Sasha resumed yanking me away from the stunned scene. "Come on, Mom. Let's go. We've got the wrong dad." "Wait, Sasha; I don't think….." But my son cut my sentence short with a firm look…. which I hate to admit it but made his face nearly resemble Anthony's just then. He looked at me with intent eyes and a thin, disappointed line for a mouth. His cheeks were still tearstained. "No, that's not him. My real dad is totally different; you'll see.

Let's go find the dad that loves us both."