fade away.

nineteen.

. chapter nineteen

one day later .
1941 .

Jade knew that this would be the day Elizabeth would fade. She remembered the events well enough. She remembered how her mother never got out of bed that morning, and how she only saw her father once that day. Today was the exact.

August and Jade sat in the living area, reading classic novels on adventure. Jade remembered loving the story of Peter Pan and Neverland, so they read that until the day reached late afternoon.

The whole day passed on incredibly slow, but soon it was dark and August was tucked into bed.

Jade sat in her room, going over the plan in her head as she waited for Ben to come retrieve her.

Ben barged into the room, his skin a sickly pale color. He sat on the bed, waiting for Jade's plan.

"I'm so sorry," Jade began, and Ben screwed his eyes closed. "You can't come. These events have to happen remotely close to the way I remember them. She leaves, you stay. August needs you to raise her, into who I am now."

"I-" Ben choked back tears, "I don't know how to do that."

"You become a broken man," Jade said. "I know it may not sound like you now, but all your anguish is directed toward me. It's just how it was."

Ben refused to look at Jade, but she could tell he wouldn't believe he was so hurtful to her.

"You'll see her again someday, Ben," Jade assured, trying to console his breaking heart.

He nodded. "We have to hurry, it's nearly midnight."

They rushed down the hall, but tried to be as quiet as possible when passing August's room. When they reached the right doorway, Ben pushed it open to reveal Elizabeth sunken and ill, barely breathing.

"Benjamin?" she rasped. "What is Miss Xavier doing here?"

Jade stepped up to the bed, almost crying at the memory of her mother fading away. It wouldn't happen this time. It was her job now to fix this.

"It's so hard to explain," Jade muttered, a tear sneaking down her cheek. "But I'm going to save you; I'm going to help you."

Elizabeth went to protest, but Ben stopped her from moving. Elizabeth only stared up at Jade in confusion.

"It's time," Ben whispered, looking over at the large clock in the middle of the room.

Jade placed her hands onto her mother's arm, putting all of her focus on traveling through time, getting back home, getting back to Charles.

She heard the faint mumble of Ben's goodbye before everything fell into a state of oblivion, and Jade could feel herself tumbling, but she still had a hold of Elizabeth.

Soon, everything stopped. Jade, now August once again, felt grass beneath her and heard birds chirping in the distance.

1962 .

August opened her eyes, looking around at the familiar garden. Elizabeth laid on the ground, staring up at the canopy of trees in shock. August looked around, finding Ben running up to the two.

"Elizabeth!" he breathed out, dropping to his knees next to his wife.

"Benjamin?" Elizabeth croaked. "What happened?"

August stood back as Ben aided Elizabeth into a sitting position.

"Time travel, love," he grinned. "I would have done it myself, but I was too weak."