"Hey Gwen, what's the matter? Coming to visit me in the morning suddenly. Did you have breakfast?" Jack tried to act very normal.
"Who is she? Why does she look exactly like my childhood version?" Gwen asked, looking at Emma, who also didn't know what to say.
Both looked at each other. In that second, neither of them knew what lie to tell to avoid the truth.
Morgan, seeing this situation and feeling that something interesting was happening, was watching nearby, drinking orange juice through a straw.
Seeing both of them not saying a word, Gwen's detective mind thought it over while looking at Emma's face, and found an answer.
"I understand everything," Gwen nodded lightly with a little anger.
Ah, I understand everything? I didn't even give you a single clue. How did you figure it out? Hearing Gwen say that, all three were puzzled about what she had understood.
"You must be my father's illegal daughter from outside, who was found by Jack, right?"
Hearing her say Emma was George's illegal daughter, all three were shocked by her imagination.
Morgan was quietly drinking her juice through a straw when she heard that.
The next second, she nearly choked.
"Pfft!"
Juice sprayed from her mouth as she burst out laughing.
"Cough! Cough!"
She quickly covered her mouth, trying — and completely failing — to stop laughing.
Seeing Morgan suddenly burst out laughing, Gwen turned toward her.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing," Morgan said, desperately trying to stop laughing.
Gwen narrowed her eyes.
"What I guessed is the truth, isn't it?" Gwen slowly turned toward Jack. "I can't believe you'd do that to Mom. I'm taking her side."
Jack nearly had a heart attack.
Seeing Gwen's imagination sprinting toward disaster at full speed, he quickly looked at Emma, hoping she would help fix the situation.
Instead, Emma smiled.
"Yes," she said cheerfully. "I'm your little sister."
Jack's soul nearly left his body.
Little sister?
LITTLE SISTER?!
For a brief moment, Jack imagined George hearing those words.
"George! How could you have a daughter outside the marriage? We're getting a divorce!"
"I can explain!"
"You can explain it to the lawyer!"
The image of George desperately trying to defend himself while being chased around the house flashed through Jack's mind.
No.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Meanwhile, Emma continued smiling innocently.
Jack wasn't fooled for a second.
That little troublemaker knew exactly what she was doing.
"Wait here, Gwen," Jack said, forcing a smile. "I need to have a very important conversation with this little gremlin."
Emma immediately sensed danger.
"But —"
"No."
"I was only —"
"No."
Before she could continue, Jack picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
"Dad!"
"No."
Seeing this, Morgan completely gave up trying to hold back her laughter and hurried after them.
A few moments later, the three disappeared upstairs, leaving Gwen standing alone in the living room.
"..."
Gwen blinked.
"...Did she just call Jack 'Dad'?"
Upstairs, Jack put Emma down and rubbed his forehead.
"Emma, this is not the time to play around. If we don't give Gwen an answer, your grandfather is going to end up in trouble."
"I was only joking," Emma pouted.
Morgan shrugged.
"I think telling her the truth is best. We don't know how many lies we'll have to tell otherwise. If she finds out later, things could get even worse."
"Telling Gwen isn't the problem," Jack said. "I'm sure she can keep a secret. What I'm worried about is the timeline. What if this changes the future? What if it affects Emma's birth?"
The room fell silent.
Jack wasn't afraid for himself.
But the thought of Emma disappearing because of a mistake terrified him.
"Don't worry. The timeline isn't that fragile."
A woman's voice suddenly echoed through the room.
Everyone tensed and turned toward the source.
A bald woman in yellow robes stood there as if she had always been present.
"Ancient One," Jack said in surprise.
"It's good to see you again, Mr. Jack," she replied with a smile. "Though for you, this is our first meeting."
"Who is she?" Emma asked, her hand immediately moving toward the Omnitrix.
"Don't be afraid, little one. I'm not your enemy."
Even so, Emma didn't move her hand.
"Relax, Emma," Jack said. "If she were our enemy, none of us would stand a chance."
Emma reluctantly lowered her guard.
Jack turned back to the Ancient One.
"What you said earlier — is it true? Will telling Gwen affect the future? And can Morgan and Emma return to their time?"
The Ancient One nodded.
"The timeline is not so weak that it will shatter from a few revelations. Besides, how do you know this isn't already part of history? Perhaps these events were always meant to happen."
Jack paused.
He couldn't argue with that.
"And don't worry," the Ancient One continued. "When the time comes, the girls will return to the future."
A hint of relief appeared on Jack's face.
"Later, come see me. There are things we need to discuss."
Before anyone could ask another question, she vanished.
Silence filled the room.
"Who was that?" Emma asked.
"She's the Sorcerer Supreme," Jack explained.
Morgan blinked.
"Wait. Isn't Doctor Strange the Sorcerer Supreme?"
"She is the Sorcerer Supreme now."
"Oh."
The girls nodded in understanding.
"Did she come to answer that question? How does she know what we will speak?"
Must have used the Time Stone to spy on us, right? Jack thought, but didn't say that.
"She is a magician, so she must have used divination, right?" Emma asked.
"Yes." Jack didn't want to explain about the Time Stone to the kids right now, so he stopped.
Jack let out a slow breath.
"If the Ancient One says telling the truth won't be a problem, then I trust her."
Emma looked up at him.
"So... are we telling Mom the truth?"
Jack thought about it for a moment. The more he considered it, the more he realized that hiding the truth would only create more problems later. Lies had a habit of growing. And if Gwen learned the truth from someone else, the trust between them might never recover.
Finally, he nodded.
"Yeah."
A small smile appeared on Emma's face.
"We'll tell her everything. Let's go. She must be impatient waiting for us."
A/N:🚨 Power Stone Goals! 🚨
🔥 200 PS = 1 Bonus Chapter
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