Nadine Book 5

33. Time Loop

Tre puts me back in a human dress, and we go to the dining room. It's only 11 of us. Would be 10 but my Frode is here too.

Future Tre looks at us. "There are a few more training runs before we send you out on your own. I think everyone gets 1 or 2. It's not a lot, but it does help."

Older Tye nods. "Then you'll get your ship out. For the first few missions, 1 of us comes and sits on the ship with you. Just to make sure nothing crazy happens. Then you'll be on your own."

I scoot my chair right beside Tre's. "Why this? Why are there 2 sets of us?"

Future me smiles. "We have no idea. But it's not 2 sets. It's at least 3. Each 10,000 years apart. We once sat where you do now."

"Are they still alive?"

"We lost contact with them about 8,000 years ago."

"That's 2000 years from now for us?"

"Yes."

"Did you talk to them first?"

"They were going somewhere hostile. Trying to save us is what they said."

"They said goodbye."

Future Tre smiles. "They were happy. 12,000 years is a long time. If our time is up, then it's up. I'm happy we got to live this life together."

I jump up. "NO."

"What baby?"

"This is a 10,000-year time loop. We have to break it."

Future Dipak sits back. "I don't remember you saying that."

"I never said that. But our lives aren't exact. The big stuff plays out the same but not exactly."

"Please. We have to break it." I look at my Dipak.

"What could we even do?"

"We figure out where they were and when. We go there and do the time jump thing. They said it was hostile. I'm sure they would appreciate the help if anything else."

Future Dipak sits back. "We could die right there."

"Or we could break the time loop and actually get to live. You're us. We know how our story turns out now, we don't have to live it. We can do something different. We can try."

"And in 10,000 years when the next group comes up. You'll be dead. They won't have anyone to guide them."

"We're smart. We can figure it out. I'm not going to sit here and be stuck in this loop. Was there a group before them? Did they say anything about it?"

"They lost contact with them 8,000 years before they met us."

"I wonder how long this has been going on. We have to break it. Please. I mean, what if they're stuck there? Waiting for someone to break the time loop."

Future Tre writes something down. "If you're right, when the time loop breaks, it goes back to being 1 timeline. Only 1 group of us will exist."

"The next 10,000 years seem amazing. And I know I love you all. But I can't live in a time loop where the next group already knows what's going to happen. It's already done. We've already done everything." I point at the older group. "I don't want to do it again."

Dipak winks. "I'm in."

Tre looks at him. "What?"

"All I ever wanted was to find my mate, make babies, and have a happy life." He points at his older self. "I succeeded. If we don't go and figure out what happens to us, then we end up like them, doing this again. Knowing everything that's going to happen already. What's the point of living a life that's already done?"

Marcus smirkss. "I'm in. If we keep going, I'll get 12,000 happy years with you. I'll bond with my mate. We'll have babies. We see galaxies and worlds. It'll be an amazing life. If we go now, we may not get to live it, but in a lot of ways, we already have."

"I know we will work things out eventually. I know you will fall back in love with me someday. Then we bond and have babies. My dreams come true. I love knowing. It makes me so happy. The only reason I know is because it keeps replaying. I don't want to live a life where I always know the future either... Although, knowing the future about us is nice." Tye stares at the table.

Tre rubs his eyes. "Oh what the hell? For the record, I still want to do those things. I want to mark you. I want to make babies, I want it all. But yea, we already have it all. Let's change it."

"You can mark her now."

Tre turns to his future self. "What?"

"The mark doesn't last but an hour. But nothing bad happens. It fades off after an hour or 2."

"I remember my mom was bawling the first time Dipak marked me by accident. She kept saying the bond was gone forever. It fades off, you're too young to keep it, but it doesn't do any damage or anything to the bond." She shakes her head. "I don't know why anyone thought it would."

My Dipak jumps up.

"SO HELP ME DIPAK. I WILL TIE MYSELF TO THIS CHAIR."

"THEN I WILL DO YOU IN THE CHAIR, WOMAN."

"SIT DOWN."

Future Dipak nods. "We're going to need weeks to put the information together. We'll have to figure out where exactly they were and where they were going. What was happening? We'll have to figure out as much as we can. Maybe 8 or 12 weeks. And we can't guarantee any of us will live. We could die on the spot. It's a lot to give up. We lived our lives. It's amazing. I'm glad we had this life. When our time is over, I can look back happy. You are the ones who will be giving up the most if we die. Please think about it."

"Sounds good."

"Sit down. We haven't even eaten yet."

He plops down. "SEND THE FOOD."

The brains bring in something and fries.

"Try it baby."

Future me smiles. "It's a cheeseburger, we like them."

I pick it up and take a bite. She is wrong. I spit it back out.

"I forgot it took me awhile. Bring her a plain cheeseburger and put everything on the side."

I eat everything very slowly. As soon as I'm done, Dipak stands up.

I scream, "DESSERT."

Future Dipak stands up laughing. "Actually we're going to drop out of hyperspace soon. Everyone come watch."

I sit in one of the chairs in the command area. I watch my boys learning as much as they can. I am so proud of them. I do love them. Part of the bond with Tye connects again. I know he feels it, he looks at me. I stare at the floor. I wasn't ready for that.

He stands me up and gives me a hug. "Thank you for that much. I know I'm stupid. I should never have let her in. It's my fault. I should have known better. That's who she is. It was my fault. I only ever want to take care of you. I want you forever. I won't make that mistake again."

Dipak glares at him. "SHE NEEDS MORE TIME."

I pat Tye on the back. "Dipak needs more time."

He kisses my head. "All of you will. I hurt everyone."

I shake my head. "We're not mad at Tye anymore."

"We're not?"

"You're not?" Future me stares at me.

"If we only have 8 to 12 weeks together, we're not going to waste it being mad at anyone. Especially not a kid who is still learning too."

Dipak points at him. "If you do anything to hurt her..."

"I won't. I messed up. I should never have let her in. She said she was searching for her necklace. I didn't think anything of it at first. But I should have known. A w***e is a w***e. She doesn't need a reason to be a w***e. It's my fault. I should never have let her in. I should never have been alone with her. I won't make that mistake again. I should have slammed the door in her face. I let her come on to me and I shouldn't have. I love Nadine, and you're all I want."

Future Tye crosses his arms. "This did not happen last time. She only talked to me 1 time before she went into heat. I begged her to put my feather back in her arm before she left. She did, but refused to answer it the entire time she was on that island. I was happy it was there though."

"You really are going to change everything."

Dipak smirks. "There is one thing you're not changing."

Everyone laughs.

"We have to make my mom cry too."

"Me and Tre at the same time. Then we let her see them."

"My mom will murder me before it fades off. Pick someone else."

Older me smiles. "I don't think she could take 2 bonds at the same time yet. Don't I go unconscious right after?"

Dipak nods.

"Yea, it's like that for a long time. It wouldn't work. Unless you could wiggle your head around somehow and bite them both while they're still cumming. But I don't see that happening."

Frode stands up from his chair. "This is entirely too much for me."

Older me nods. "Or you could do 1 after the other. They usually last between an hour or two. Make the 2nd one hurry up. Then you would have 2 on there. Whose fastest?"

Frode shakes his head. "Again, not relevant information for the task at hand."

Dipak crosses his arms. "I can probably get her in 15 minutes."

Tye smirks. "I can get her in 10."

"Right after, she came that hard. I don't think so."

"I could."

I put my head down and rub my eyes. "You had to challenge him, didn't you?"

"Sorry babydoll. Never mind Dipak. I'm sure it would take me 30."

He nods and everyone else laughs.

Then the alarm sounds.

The future boys stand up and start talking to my boys. I smile at them. We're willing to give up a long happy life to make it on our own. To not know the future. To write our own future. We may not exist anymore. It is scary.