"Sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go"

---

Five realised that the bar was a bad idea to talk with his family while strangers was around them. So he deiced to lead them upstairs so they can have the conversation.

When they were all around the pool tables Five started telling them about the grandfather paradox.

"Paradox Protocols. The Complete Commission Guide to Temportal Anomalies Chapter 68 'The Grandfather Paradox' It's New Jersey, 1953, and Elmer Tatelman hates his grandfather. Elmer blames everything on his grandfather. His mother's pain, his father's dead, and his own sad life. This could have been just another sad tale about soup, except for one thing. Elmer is about to invent...time travel. You see, Elmer has decided the key to his future happiness is to go back in time and kill his grandfather. Elmer completed his mission, but he's made one crucial mistake. He went too far back in time. You see murdering his grandfather in 1905 meant that Elmer's mother didn't exist to meet his father in 1925. Which made certain that Elmer himself was never born. Elmer killed his grandfather so his mother was never born. But if his mother was never born, Elmer no longer exists. But if Elmer no longer exists, how could he possibly kill his grandfather? And around and around we go. Elmer has created a paradox, the grandfather paradox. The most pernicious problem in The Commission Handbook of Paradox Protocols. This story is not true. But if it were, Elmer would have placed, time, space, and every living thing in grave peril. Don't be an Elmer! We've been lucky so far. With your help, constant vigilance, and a little strategic violence, the Commission will make certain nothing like this ever happens. Or God help us all' Well, that is what we learned in The Commission" Five said as he was telling the others about the Paradox while they were all standing by the pool ball table on the second floor in the hotel.

While Five had explain about the Paradox, Maddie had being looking through the book, and she have found out that Luther was born in Stockholm in Sweden to a woman name Monica. Diego was born in northern Mexico to a woman name Elena. Allison was born in Capetown in South Africa to a woman name Victoria. Klaus was born in Pennsylvania to an Amish woman who name was Rachel. Five was born in Dublin Ireland to a woman name Efa who was a butcher. Viktor was born in Moscow Russia to a woman name Tatiana. And Maddie herself was born to a woman name Natalie Delany who was duchess of Normandy in France.

"I'm so confused" Diego said "Shocking" Allison muttered causing Diego to glanced at her "Well, someone killed our mothers, so we shouldn't exist" Maddie said while Klaus was laying on the floor, repeatedly hitting himself in the face with the book.

"But clearly, we do exist and the universe can't handle it, which is a problem" Viktor said "Big problems" Five said and let out a sigh as he was holding a mug of coffee before taking a sip.

"YAH" Stanley shouted as he jumped and kicked his leg out in front of him.

"STANLEY!" Diego shouted as he pointed his knife at him and Stan looked at him "Now is not the time to be doing karate, okay?" Diego said "Mom said I need to practice" Stan said "Yeah, well, she's not wrong. You're very bad" Diego said with a nod as he was flipping his knife with his hand "Well, I saved your pathetic ass!" Stan shouted at him.

"Okay, hold on. Five, so we caused a paradox?" Allison said and Five turned a bit to look at her as he was holding his mug "What does that mean?" she asked "With my knowledge of paradoxes, there is a lot that could happen. It's never really happen before, but I can see signs of it affecting" Five said "What affecting?" Viktor asked "It's hard to say. It's all been theoretical until now, but things have started to disappear" Five said "What things?" Viktor asked and Five put his mug down on the pool ball table "Right now? Uh, lobsters" he said "And a shit ton of cows!" Klaus said as he sat up.

"But I have a feeling this is just the beginning" Five said "A feeling? Aren't you retired?" Allison asked and Five looked at her "I want nothing more" he said.

"You know" Allison said as she walked over to Five before she stopped in front of him while he turned to her "You can't drag us through hell because you have an itch only an apocalypse can scratch and then expect us to deal with the fallout. You're not the boss" she said and Freddy let out a sigh, he was getting angry that she didn't show some gratitude for Five, after everything he have done for them.

"Fine, I'm the messenger, and I'm telling you something terrible is coming. I think you are forgetting that I can't control if or when the world ends" he said calmly.

"Then let's go attack the Sparrows, get the briefcase, and go home" Allison said "This is our home, Allison. Accept it" Five said "Who voted you for being in charge about this" Allison said "Hey Allison" Freddy said and she looked at him "You have no idea all the things Five has being through, the things he did to save us, you are all too selfishness to see it, if it haven't being for Five, we would all have being dead, therefore he deserve some gratitude and respect" Freddy said and Five smiled at him.

"Respect" Allison said before she walked closer to Freddy "Respect. He is the reason we are stuck here, is his fault" Allison said "His fault. This isn't his fault, everything he have done, it has all being about saving us, his family. Five had done everything for us, so don't blame him every time something goes wrong" Freddy said "He is the reason, that my daughter don't exists" Allison said, raising her voice "Is thanks to him that we are alive. If it hadn't been for him, the world would have ended, and all people would have died, including your daughter" Freddy said "So you don't want to fix this" Allison said "I will, but who knows what we will fuck up this time if we tried to fix this. So as Five said, this is our home now" Freddy said "So you don't care about Claire, my daughter. How heartless can you be" Allison said "Allison stop" the others said.

"Don't put me in a position where I gotta show you how heartless I can be. You might never look at me the same" Freddy said "You don't know how much pain I'm in, you have never felt a pain like this" Allison said.

"You know nothing of my pain or the things I have being through" Freddy said "Because you have never felt it" Allison said "I have" Freddy said "Well, then tells us. You are so close about your life that you wouldn't tell us anything. How can we know your pain if you wouldn't share it with us" Klaus said in a sweet way to try and calm his brother.

Freddy looked at Maddie "You have to tell them, show them" she said and Freddy took a deep breath before he opened his palm, and when he did that, small balls with fire, water and wind appeared on his palm before the elements all mixed together and it created some light.

The light started to surround the sibling. The light looked like the the Northern Light and the siblings' eyes widened at how a beautiful sight it was.

"I was so happy for the first time for so long" Freddy said and the light then started showing every memory Freddy had with Kate

"I thought I was gonna feel alone and broken for the rest of my life, I thought I was never going to be fully happy, but then I met her and she made me feel less broken and alone" Freddy said as the light showed him and Kate meeting for the first time, their first date, their first kiss, them singing together. Her jumping into his arms when he came home from a war, them sitting on a car's hood while looking up at the stars, them falling asleep on each other's shoulder.

"She make me feel happy, more happy than I thought I could be, she showed me a better life and a better world. She saved me from the darkness. She healed my wounds, even those I thought would never go away" Freddy said as the light showed him and Kate dancing together, her being there for him, how she made him smile, them looking into each other's eyes. Him proposing to her. Them getting married.

As the siblings was looking at the memories, it was like they could feel how Kate made Freddy feel.

"I thought we were going to be a family. I thought that we were going to be together forever, but then..." Freddy said and the light showed them the car accident, and they showed how they landed in a hospital. How Freddy made it but Kate need a new kidney, but they couldn't give her one because she had Leukemia.

They saw Freddy and Kate talk about her knowing that she have had it for two years and she have stopped responding to treatments, but she didn't tell Freddy because the doctors have told her she should go on and live her life normally, as best as she could.

The siblings saw how Freddy never stopped visiting her. How he came in everyday, sat next to her, holding her hand. He never left her side and he took care of her. He stayed with her for hours, security had to force him out once. They saw that she got better and they got married a day after in secret. They saw how she fainted on the wedding night and how he carried her all the way to the hospital. They saw how the doctor told Freddy that Kate have gotten worse and she wouldn't survive the night.

They saw how she was ready to go, but he was not ready to let her go. And as the siblings saw the painful memory, it was like they could feel the pain he felt.

"So that is the pain I feel everyday" Freddy said as the light disappeared and all the siblings expect for one looked at him with sadness in their eyes. "Is my fault, she is dead because of me" he said "You can't say that Fred, it could have happened to everyone" Maddie said, trying to comfort him "Now you know there was a woman name Kate and that she saved me, in every way that a person can be saved" he said.

"So, you have being through some pain, but that's nothing to what I have being through" Allison said and when she said that Freddy couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Life is pain, I wake up in pain. You know how many times I wanted just to give up? How many times I thought about ending it" Freddy said "No, don't say that" Maddie said.

But Freddy had already lost his temper "Do you guys even know what I've being through or even cared to asked. Sometimes I used to have nightmares all the times, but then I met her and after that, they didn't came so often and when they did she always used to calm me down. But ever since she died, the nightmare have came back and it have gotten worse. I've woke up in a pool of sweat and the look on her face when she died. I can't get it out if my head and it drives me crazy. Kate was all I had, all that I was. She was the reason I woke up in the morning" Freddy said out loud.

"Freddy, calm down, we have all lost people" Viktor said "Yeah, but not like this and you all moved on" Freddy said out loud again.

"I know you miss Kate, I miss her too, she was my friend" Maddie said, trying to calm him down "I didn't even get to say it back. Her last word were 'I love you' but I didn't say it back. She wasn't just some woman, she was my world. She was everything to me. Her smile brighten up the whole room. Her eyes sparkled like stars. She had beautiful soft hair and the way she looked at me. She meant the world to me and now she is gone just as I thought that we would be together forever" Freddy said, shouting as loud as he could and all the siblings widened their eyes, they have never heard him shout out like that before, they have never even heard him raise his voice before.

They were so shock that they didn't knew what to say. None of them knew that pain he went through, all the pain he was still in. Except Maddie but she didn't know it was that much. He was right, they didn't know about the things he has being through, he has being so good at hiding it that they didn't care to asked, but now he couldn't hold it in anymore.

Freddy took a deep breath before looking down "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled like that, I'm sorry" he said before he turned around and ran away "FRED, WAIT" Maddie said "Let him go, Love" Five said and Maddie looked at him "I think he need some time alone" he said.

"Woah, I didn't knew any of this" Diego "We didn't knew that he was so broken" Viktor said "He is broken and in pain on the inside, but he don't show it, because he worried about others before he even think about worried about himself and that is what make him a wonderful person with a strong and big heart" Maddie said before taking a deep breath "Freddy's intellect is a shield which protects him from his emotions and at the moment his shield is under repair" she said with a sigh.

Everyone was silence not knowing what to say.

But then there was a clattering noise breaking the silence and they all looked over at Stan who knocked over something with his pool ball stick.

"That's it! I'm telling your mom" Diego said "Ooh" Stanley said not sounding scared "Wait, where's Lila?" Five asked as he looked between Stan and Diego "Shower. I told her she could stay with us" Stan said "Wait. When did Lila get back?" Viktor asked and Five grabbed his mug before he turned around and walked towards the stairs "Five, where are you going?" Diego asked "Go talk to somebody who only has half her head up her ass" Five answered "Don't leave, Five. Don't leave" Klaus said "No, Klaus. I'm leaving" Five said as he walked away.

"I mean, he has a good track record with this stuff. I feel like we should listen to him" Viktor said as he pointed towards the stairs "Sure" Klaus said as he pointed at Viktor.

"Hey, quick question" Klaus said before he stood up "Cobra Kai! Yeah!" Stan said as he practiced his karate.

"Do none of you heartless bastards care about our murdered moms?" Klaus asked "I do" Maddie said with her finger lifted as Klaus walked over to Viktor before he dropped the book onto the pool ball table.

"Klaus, the only one that we knew plugged into a wall" Diego said "Oh, yeah? Well, this is my real mother" Klaus said before he picked up the book again and he turn it so Diego could see the picture of Klaus' mother "And she's called Rachel. And I have her eyes. See?" he said as he turned to Viktor.

"Come on. We need to find out who did this! This is the thing" Klaus said before he dropped the book back onto the table "This is the main thing!" he said "Is that all you want?" Diego asked "Yeah" Klaus answered, sounding like a child.

"'Cause it's obviously Dad, all right? He knew where we were born. He hated us in '63. Boom. Murders" Diego said "You think Dad is capable of killing innocent people?" Klaus asked causing Allison to let out a scoff while Diego let out a laugh "Absolutely" Maddie said "Oh, it's Murder City, buddy" Diego said "Yeah, I guess so" Klaus said.

Then Luther came walking up the stairs and over to them out of breath from running.

"Little late for a meeting, pal" Diego said to him "I was being held captive. By the Sparrows" Luther said as he extended his arms out to his sides, holding a Sparrow tote bag and a drink in each hand while he was wearing a Sparrow outfit set.

"What?" Allison asked "Wait. Did none of you notice?" Luther asked "We're happy you're home safe and sound" Viktor said "Yeah. Oh my God" Klaus said "Stop lying" Allison said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah. Okay. Nice" Luther said as he walked over to the pool table "Did they hurt you?" Maddie asked "Who? The Sparrow?" Luther said and shook his head "God, no. Not at all. Excellent hosts. Really quite charming, actually" Luther said as he put down the bag on the table and Allison looked in the bag while Klaus touched Luther's Sparrow jacket.

"Oh, and you should see their gym. Outstanding! I really think we got these guys all wrong" Luther said as he slurped on his drink and Allison pulled out a Sparrow Academy record with Marcus, Ben and Alphonso on the front cover "Says the guy they kidnapped" she said.

Diego then let out a whistled causing Luther to look at him "What did they want?" he asked "Oh. Marcus. He's missing. They want him back. Unharmed" Luther said "We don't have him" Viktor said "Well, damn. I was hoping we'd solve that one quickly and then move on to problem number two. Disappearing people" Luther said and they all looked at him.

But then let out a grunt as Stan by accident hit a vase with his pool stick causing the vase to break "Ooh!" he said and everyone turned to him "Uh, it was...it was the wind" he said "Who's the kid?" Luther asked.

---

Freddy was in the room walking back and forth when the door opened and Klaus and Maddie entered "Hey" they said "Hey" Freddy said and they walked closer to him.

"I'm sorry about my behavior before, I shouldn't have yelled" Freddy said "Is okay, you don't have to say sorry for the way you feel" Maddie said "Yeah, is okay" Klaus said "Is just, I went to see this timeline Kate and when I saw her kissing another man, all the pain I have felt just came back to me. And after what Allison just said I couldn't hold back anymore and the words just flew out of my mouth and I needed to show you my memories" Freddy said "And you did and it was like we felt your pain" Klaus said "I'm sorry, I haven't seen it, sorry I haven't asked" Maddie said "No, is okay, I choice not to show it" Freddy said before looking at them "You guys don't have to check on me. I'm fine okay" he said with a fake smile.

"Stop that" Maddie said "Stop what?" Freddy asked "Stop prioritizing others before yourself. You always do this. Every since we were kids. You always cared about us and our feelings instead of your own" Maddie said "She is right. You have always being like that and that's why we love you. But is okay to let it out once in a while" Klaus said and Freddy took a deep breath and looked down

"I am more broken than people think, if I shall be honest I'm the most broken one, but I choose not to show it because I don't want people to worry about me or feel sorry for me" he said before he looked at them and they could see the tears in his eyes.

"I killed her" he said "No, you didn't, it's wasn't your fault" Maddie said "If I hadn't propose to her on that clift, we would never have sitting in that car and we haven't gotten hit by that other car" Freddy said "Don't say that, it could have had happen to anyone" Maddie said.

"You can't be stuck in one place, you have to move on" Klaus said "I want to move on, but everytime I try. Everything reminds me of her and I still see her in mine dreams" Freddy said before he took a deep breath "If there is no meaning to the things that are happening, then...the world is too evil to live in" Freddy said before looking down.

"What hurt me the most, is that I never got to say it back or say goodbye" he said before he sighed "I just wish I could see her again, just one last time" he said, looking down on the floor.

"Fred" a voice said and Freddy looked up to see Kate in front of him causing his eyes to widened "Kate" he said before he took some steps closer "Is this really you?" he asked "It is is really me" Kate said and Freddy looked over at Klaus who hands was glowing blue.

"You are doing this?" Freddy asked him and he nodded "You deserve to get the chance to say goodbye" Klaus said.

Freddy then looked back at Kate who stretched her hand towards him "Come let's dance" she said.

I am not the only traveler
Who has not repaid his debt

Freddy smiled before he took her hand, walking closer to her and the two started dancing.

I've been searching for a trail to follow again
Take me back to the night we met

"Just like the night we met" Kate said and Freddy smiled "Just like the night we met" he said before he leaned closer to her.

And then I can tell myself
What the hell I'm supposed to do

"I have dream about holding you like this again" Freddy said as he could feel her skin on his "I have missed you so much" he said "And I have missed you" she said.

And then I can tell myself
Not to ride along with you

"Your friends are right, Fred, you can't keep holding on" Kate said "Is just one of the things I'm most afraid of is forgetting you" Freddy said "Then don't" Kate said "The thing I'm second most afraid of is never be able to let you go and that the reason that I will not let go of you is because I'm afraid of forgetting you" he said while looking at her.

I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met

"That will never happen, I will always be a part of you, but you have to let go so you can move on" Kate said and he looked at her "You have to let go of the past so you can have a future" she said.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do
Haunted by the ghost of you
Oh, take me back to the night we met

"I need to tell you something" Freddy said and she looked at him "I didn't fall in love with you because I needed you or that I wanted someone to hold or that I needed you to make me feel loved. I fell in love with you because the moment I met you, everything stopped, the sound around us were all muted and all I could hear was your voice and every time I stared into your eyes, I felt home and I had no other thought in the world but how do I make you happy for the rest of your life, because you were already doing so much for me and I didn't even know it, but as time went on, you slowly started to drift away and the worst part of it was I knew I couldn't do anything to stop it from happening, you were gone, but you will always have a place in my heart, no matter what, cause I have never felt love like that way I felt it with you, even if it ended up breaking my heart" he said and she smiled.

When the night was full of terrors
And your eyes were filled with tears

Freddy then looked down "Is my fault that you are dead" he said "No, no" she said before she put her hand on his chin and lifted his head up so he was looking at her "Is not your fault and you can't torture yourself with that. You have to forgive yourself" she said.

When you had not touched me yet
Oh, take me back to the night we met

"You are too strong to let yourself fell into that kind of guilt" Kate said and Freddy looked down on the floor "I wouldn't be able to find peace if you don't forgive yourself and move on" she said "How am I supposed to make it?" he asked as tears ran down from his eyes and Kate smiled before she wiped them away "Just live, I'll be walking beside you every step of the way" she said and Freddy nodded, he knew that he have to let her go if he would ever be able to live his life and move on.

I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met

"So this is it. Our book is finally closing. Filled with so many memories, and so many special moments. I'm always going to love you. And I'm never going to forget everything you did for me. You will always have a special place in my heart. Because you really taught me how to love. And I will always cherish every moment that we had" Freddy said "I want you to be happy. Even though that happiness isn't going to be with me. But you will be okay, and we will see each other again one day. But until then, live your life that way you want and be with the people you want to be with and do what you want to be doing, be happy" Kate said.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do
Haunted by the ghost of you
Take me back to the night we met

"You know someone once told me that you can still love someone and let them go" Freddy said before he looked at her and took a deep breath "So Kate, my love, I love you and I let you go. And I will miss you. And I hope that wherever you go next, you feel peace, you feel safe in a way that you never did here" he said and Kate smiled "There you go" she said before she put her hands on his cheeks "I love you" he said "I love you too. I know I'll always have a place in your heart. And I'm not saying to forget me, but I want you to move on, fall in love again, and start a new chapter in your life, like you promised me, remember" she said and he nodded "I don't think I can" he said "Yes you can, cause your heart is big enough to love two people" she said and he nodded but with tears in his eyes. "Don't worry I will always be with you, right here" she said and put her hand on his chest.

Then some bright white light started shining at them and Kate and Freddy both knew what this mean and that was, that it was time for Kate to walk into the afterlives, meaning that it was time to say goodbye forever.

"This is it, they are calling for me. I think is time" Kate said "I hates goodbyes and I was never good at them" Freddy said with tears running down his eyes "We have said our goodbye before, so it stands to reason..." Kate said before she put each hand on his cheek "We'll say hello again" she said and he nodded with a smile while tears felled down from his eyes.

They leaned closer to each other before they both closed their eyes and they press their lips against each other, giving each other one last kiss.

After a minute, Kate pulled back and they look at each other "Remember you are a wonderful, smart, brave and strong human being. Who have a big and kind heart, and don't ever forget that" she said and he nodded before they give each other one last smile "Thank you for the happiest years of my life" she said and smiled.

"I love you" he said "I love you too, so much Freddy, be happy" Kate said before she took some steps backwards. "So long, honey" she said before she turned around and started walking towards the bright light as she becomes more blurred until she eventually disappears along with the light.

Tears rolled down Freddy's cheeks "Goodbye Kate, I will never forget you" he said as he watched her disappear.

"I'm sorry" Klaus said as both him and Maddie had tears in their eyes. Freddy looked at Klaus "Thank you" he said "That's what family is for and beside that the least I could do after everything you have done for me" he said and Freddy nodded before he sat down on the bed.

Maddie and Klaus walked over and sat down on each side of him as he wiped away his final tears "You okay?" Maddie asked "I will be" Freddy said "Is okay to fall apart a little bit, you loved her" Klaus said "I'll always miss her. But our love is like the wind. I can't see it. But I can feel it. And she was right, I have to move on and I think I can do that now, most of the pain is gone now" Freddy said before he let out a sob.

Maddie wrapped her arms around him before she pulled him into a hug "I will always be here for you" she said "And so will I, all of us" Klaus said as he also wrapped his arms around Freddy.

Freddy let out a sob while his brother and sister comfort him.

"At some point you just have to let go and move on. It might be the hardest thing to do in the world, but you have to summon all of the strength you possibly can to finally let go. Some people and things just aren't going to be meant for you, no matter how much you wish they were. Some jobs and situations just won't work out, no matter how much you hoped they would...But, know that it's okay for things to not work out. Nobody's life is a straight line that makes perfect sense. Everybody has twists and turn, and everybody has to turn around every now and then. So when you find yourself wishing and hoping for things out of your control would change, summon all of your strength to let go and start heading in a new direction, because it'll lead you closer to your true path"

A/N: Hope you like this chapter. Vote or comment if you did.