A Twist In Time

Nott Who You Were Looking For

September 4th 1917

Dear Tommy,

I feel like I'm dreaming.

It feels unreal that you'd return my feelings. I'm sure Ada's already written to you, but I think I must tell you that I actually passed out upon reading your letter.

Though, to be fair, I don't think it was your declaration of love that got to me.

Only a moment before, Polly came into the kitchen and announced I had a letter from you. To our surprise, Thomas-J called out 'Dada'. You can assume correctly that we were all shocked. I'd never referred to you as 'Dada' to him so we were confused as to where he'd learnt that.

Poor Mary got all confused you see. I told her I named him after his dad, which is true, his birth father is also called Tom and in her mind, she just made that connection to you. You are the only Thomas she knows, so Thomas-J must be your son.

Perfect logic to a seven-year-old.

I'm not sure how this makes you feel but every time he sees your photograph or someone mentions your name he calls out 'Dada'. I could try to get him to stop, but I can see a determined look in his eye and I don't think it wise to fight a ten-month-old over something like this.

Please don't be angry.

I'll leave you knowing that Thomas-J and I will be waiting for your return.

With love, always and forever,

Romy xx

He couldn't handle it.

How could he handle it?

For years he'd been sacrificing himself in France, making decisions that should have gotten him killed, taken bullets and wished to die, and now he had a beautiful woman waiting for him and a baby that called him Dada.

"You alrigh', Tom?" Arthur asked, sharing a smoke with him as he took in the watery eyes of his younger brother.

"He called me 'Dada', Arthur," he said, the shakiness of his voice not lost on either of them.

"Yeah? That's good right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Arthur, it's good."

"I just gotta make sure you get outta 'ere now," Arthur joked, bumping his shoulder into his brothers as they stared up at the dark skies pondering when they'd return to their family.

The Ministry in nineteen-seventeen was an empty, cold and horrible place.

As in it literally gave me goosebumps when I walked down the corridors and tried to find Phineas.

Why did he bother asking me to meet him in his office only for him not to even be there? Newt hadn't even been there either and now it was pissing me off.

I didn't have the time to wander around the Ministry in search of him.

"Thank god I found you, Phineas, I've been looking for you for—" I gasped as he grabbed hold of my arm and apparated out of the Ministry. "What the fuck! Why did you do that?" I asked, stumbling down the hall of my house as he let go of me.

"There was someone looking for you," he said, waving his wand and casting a few charms over the house. Not that the house needed them, I'd already covered it in spells and they were probably bigger than the ones he was using now. "I've never heard of him before, said he was a Nott but I know all the Nott family and he's not one of them."