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“.. In the future.. Will we meet again?”
Those were one of the last few words she said that fateful day. The day he left for Berlin. Words that had been said so long ago, and a promise that had long since been crushed. Years passed, then decades, and although the memories were long gone the lingering pain remained.
Karl Gustav. The name of the man who started this all, the person who gave her the chance to be where she is now. Although she was only with him for a month, the impact he left would stay with her forever. A man who was selfless and only wanted to help others. He dedicated his life to it, even after his untimely death.
You’d think that after all those years he’d become jaded, yet he never did. Despite not even knowing her he treated her as if she was his own. Going along with her childish antics and making her feel seen in a way other psychologists had failed to. Perhaps it was that moment that made her have faith in others, even those who had long since given up on themselves.
She’d recalled him saying once that not everything could be solved with theories and mathematics, and maybe that was the most important lesson he taught her in the end. Despite her not believing him at the time, over the years she experienced things that made her realize what he meant in the end. All the people she met, all the people she lost, every experience, none of that was something she could explain away.
“Nikola let go of me.. It’s too hot.. Are you trying to kill me?..” Einstein muttered, barely opening her eyes. Though it took her a moment, she almost immediately flew up wide eyed and confused.
Sunlight blinded her as it poured in from an open window. With a hiss she shielded her eyes and began desperately looking around. Everything seemed so familiar to her, yet so distant.
An easel sat in the corner, covered in complex math equations which contrasted the almost child-like drawings beside them. Beside it were piles upon piles of books along with what appeared to be a professional looking bag. Pillows sat on the floor beside it, with a table nearby covered in papers and even more books.
Dread overcame her. The scene felt so familiar to her, yet she couldn’t figure out why. She hesitantly got out of the bed and slowly walked towards the easel. Crouching down she looked at the various things strewn about. Everything seemed normal, however there was one thing that caught her attention.
Her breath was caught in her chest, eyes fixated on a well worn book. With a shaky hand she gently flipped the cover open, only to be met with her own name. Her entire body was frozen.
“This.. This is impossible..” Picking it up, she noticed the handwriting of another person. As her eyes scanned over the words she felt her heart drop.
This was her childhood room. The same day Karl Gustav and Emma Planck left. The last time she ever saw him.
“...”
A loud thud rang out as Einstein collapsed onto her knees, tears rolling down her face. Pain and grief overcame her, memories of that day coming back as if it had just happened. The final moments she spent with them, the news on new years day, the grief Planck tried to hide from her with her fake cheerful attitude, Planck’s wails of grief and agony late into the night after she thought Einstein had long since asleep, her sobs as she begged for him to come back, all of it hit her as if it had just happened.
Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to calm herself down. None of this was real. It couldn’t be. Karl Gustav was dead, and Emma Planck had long since joined him. Her parents, her room, all of that was gone. These memories had long since disappeared, there wasn’t any way for this to be happening.
Her nails dug deep into the book as her grip tightened, overwhelming fear consuming her. This had to be the work of a herrscher, there wasn’t another rational explanation. Everything felt too real to be a dream. Then again, wouldn’t it make more sense to outright kill her? Herrschers couldn’t send people to the past, either.
Knock. Knock
Almost instantly she spun around and stared at the door frozen.
Knock knock.
She couldn’t get herself to move. Her heart raced and she held her breath. Although she tried to think of a plan, her emotions had long since gotten the better of her. Voices suddenly came through the door, seemingly mumbling to themselves.
Moments later the door creaked open as two figures seemingly appeared.
“L-Lieserl?! Are you okay?”
Silence filled the room. The only thing she could do was stare in disbelief and horror. Moments later the woman with green hair and a mischievous grin walked towards her before crouching down.
“Aw, come on now dear~” Planck said as she patted her head. “Don’t be like that! I know it’s been awhile but staring at us as if we’re ghosts is quite rude. We went through a lot to be here dear~ Dear Karl wouldn’t stop crying after he saw me and learned he could see you again!” She glanced beside her at Karl, who at this point was sitting down beside her. “He wouldn’t stop talking about seeing you, dear! Hmph, you outranked even me!”
Karl wasn’t paying attention to her, instead he was staring at Einstein. It was clear from his face that he was trying not to cry, and he looked as if he was holding himself back from hugging her.
“Th-This.. This isn’t possible.. I-I know what you’re doing, targeting my mentors..”
“Hmph! I see how it is! You see me and you immediately think I’m a herrscher.” She huffed and looked away. It was clear from her tone that she was teasing her, though slight pain came through.
“E-Emma..”
Einstein cut him off before he could finish. With tears in her eyes she stared at Emma. “I-If you are real.. Then you will understand my distrust.”
“Hm.. I understand.. How do we prove it to you then, my dear Lieserl~”
“Tell me something that even I wouldn’t know.” That seemed to catch her off guard. The only thing she could do was stare at Einstein in confusion and disbelief. “If you are real then you’ll be able to give an answer. Asking a question that could be answered with my pre-existing memories would be easy to answer.”
“Hm.. I understand, dear..” Looking down, Planck thought to herself. After a few seconds a glint appeared in her eye with a grin. “Well.. If you want something that you wouldn’t know.. How about a fun fact about dear little Nikola~”
Karl looked at her confused. “Who’s Nikola?”
“Shh, Karl. She’s not important~” Einstein stared at her unamused. If this was the doing of a herrscher she was certainly impressed by its accuracy. “Well.. Schrodinger was the first one little Nikola admitted loving you to~”
“... Emma, how would you know this in the first place?”
“Haha..” Karl stared at her horrified. “That’s not important, dear~ Does this prove our legitimacy yet?”
“No.. Not yet,” Einstein stated looking at Karl. “Emma.. You said it yourself, Karl wouldn’t be where you were going.. How do you explain him being here?”
“Lieserl..”
“... Lieserl it’s a long story.. We can explain, but it has to be at the end..” Planck blinked tears out of her eyes and looked at Karl. “We don’t have much time, dear..”
Without warning Einstein lunged at Karl, hugging him tightly. The normally calm and professional scientist was now bawling her eyes out into her old mentor's shoulder. He sat there stunned for what felt like forever. Seconds later he hugged her back and desperately tried to calm her down.
“I-It’s okay.. Please don’t cry..”
This, of course, made Einstein cry even harder. Without warning Planck was hugging them both tightly, trying to hold back her own tears.
“I-It’s okay, dear.. We’re here now.. It’ll be okay..”
“I-I..” Einstein began coughing and gasping for air. “I missed you.. I missed both so much.. I..”
“We missed you too, dear..”
They all sat there for several minutes hugging each other and crying. None of them wanted to let go out of fear of losing each other again, yet they knew they had to.
Regaining her composure Einstein was the first to hesitantly let go and gave him space. “I.. I have so much to tell you, Karl…”
He smiled down at her with tears in his eyes. “I can’t wait to hear all of it, you little brat.” As he ruffled her hair he stood up grabbing her hand. “Come on, Lieserl.”
Planck smiled as she stood up. “Why don’t we get some fresh air? It’s getting a little too depressing in here for me~”
Einstein nodded. A few minutes later they sat in the garden once again. The last place she saw them together before they left.
“K-Karl.. I.. I don’t know where to begin.. So much has happened..”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning, dear? You’ve accomplished so much even at such a young age~ Every good story has a beginning, too!”
“W-Well..” She looked down and clasped her hands together. “I.. I earned my PhD..”
“Y-You did?”
“Y-Yes..” Moments later Karl was hugging her tightly with tears in his eyes.
“That.. That means you’re Dr. Einstein now, right?” Leaning back he grabbed her shoulders and smiled proudly at her, desperately trying not to cry. “I.. I’m so proud of you.. I always knew you could do it you little brat.. Well.. I guess you’re not so little anymore, are you..?”
She nodded silently.
“How old are you now, anyways..? I thought it’d been longer than a few years..”
“I’m 68..”
He started chuckling to himself, not realizing that she was serious. “I see you still have the same sense of humor, you little brat. How old are you really?”
“Ahem.. Karl dear..” Planck said, elbowing him. “She’s.. She’s being serious.. There’s a lot you missed..”
His eyes widened in shock as his mouth fell open. “SHE’S SERIOUS??”
“Mhm..”
“H-How?? You look like a teenager.. A young adult at best..”
Looking down she grabbed onto her arm tightly. How would she even explain any of this to him? How would she explain that he influenced a herrscher, and that he had saved her and everyone else. That he had a son. A son that cared for humanity just as he had.
“Karl.. During the eruption in Berlin a herrscher was born.. For lack of a better term, he was your son..” She looked at Planck, hoping for some sort of sign to continue. She nodded solemnly. “Something happened that resulted in me and my.. ‘Lab partner’.. Being injured. We were saved by another friend, however it left us unable to age. In simple terms, we’ve become immortal. Soon after your son died protecting New York, saving us and thousands of others.”
“... Would his name happen to be Welt?” Almost immediately the other two were staring at him in shock of confusion. “Haha.. I-I should explain, shouldn’t I..”
“We’d be appreciative,” she said plainly.
“Well.. I happened to meet him during my time in..” He thought to himself for a minute. His facial expression seemed confused and slightly frustrated, as if he couldn’t remember a word. “.. Purgatory I assume? I.. I’m not really sure..”
“That’s impossible,” she said, cutting in. “Dr. Tesla and I looked for years trying to find him. Every search resulted in failure. My son even tried searching for him-”
Karl looked at her in shock. “Son?”
“To make a long story short, the same incident that resulted in Welt’s death had also resulted in the death of a child's father. Emma, Dr. Tesla, and I raised him.. But back on topic.”
“Who’s Dr. Tesla?”
“Karl, dear.. Can you please explain what you meant by meeting Welt..” Planck said in a desperate attempt to get answers. “We don’t have much time.. Even I’m a bit curious myself.”
“Oh.. Apologies,” he said awkwardly, putting his hand on the back of his head. “He’s been in the core since he died, though he was never really talkative.. Oftentimes he spent his time writing in a journal he kept with him. To be quite honest he refused to talk to even me until he learned who I was. Even at that though he didn’t really talk about his life much.. Occasionally during our therapy sessions he mentioned his two friends, though up until now I didn’t know who he was referring to.”
“I’m assuming you were one of them?”
“Yes.. After a while of watching him my lab partner and I took him in as our lab assistant.”
“That explains a lot then..”
She stared at him blankly. “Karl, what would that happen to mean?”
“Oh.. Haha, nothing Lieserl,” he said with a smile. “The way he described you two was as a mischievous, yet calculated, person who was slightly terrifying. The other one was described as.. How do I put this.. As his ‘sibling’ despite them often getting mad or annoyed with him for even breathing the wrong way..”
She lightly chuckled and shook her head. “Ah.. That’s an accurate description of their relationship.. Him and Dr. Tesla never particularly got along, though that was due to their inherent differences..”
“Ah.. That’s understandable. He often spoke highly of you two, though. He mentioned missing you two a lot. Though he also mentioned before how afraid he was that ‘Dr. Tesla’ didn’t like him much, and how he wished he had more time to spend with you two.”
Einstein frowned. “She did like him, whether he was aware or not. I assure you, she’s gotten upset over his death several times even if she refused to admit it.. I’ve heard her mention him before when she talked in her sleep..”
Karl smiled a little. “If I see him again I’ll tell him.. I think he’d be happy to know the person he considered his sibling misses him..”
“Mhm.. If you see him please tell him that we both miss him greatly.. And make sure to tell him that man is gone, and that we’re both safe.”
He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Don’t worry, Lieserl. I’ll be sure to tell him. Now who’s this Dr. Tesla I’ve been hearing about?”
“Oh..” She glanced at Planck. “She was Emma’s student along with a girl named Schrodinger and I. We’ve been lab partners and best friends ever since we met.”
“Aww, Lieserl~ You can’t just leave out the rest!” Planck said with a mischievous smile on her face. Even after death Einstein couldn’t escape her relentless teasing. “Go ahead and tell him about her being over protective and having the constant need to be with you~”
Karl tilted his head and smiled. “It seems like you two are really close! I’m really happy that you were able to make a friend, Lieserl.”
“That’s not all they are~”
Einstein looked away out of embarrassment and slight annoyance. “Madame Planck.. With all due respect, please stop talking.. It’s none of your business.”
“Aw, come on now dear~ You won’t have another chance you know!’
With a sigh she focused on a potted plant a ways away, unable to even face him. “Well.. As Emma very rudely is implying, we’re more than simply friends and lab partners. We're best friends, yes, however we got married a few decades ago.. Her name is Nikola, and she’s my wife.”
Moments later Karl bursted out into tears scaring the both of them. It took him several minutes to calm down to get to a point he could even speak. During that time she sat there scared. Had she said something she shouldn’t have? Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear that from her..
“I-I’m so sorry Lieserl.. I’m so sorry I missed that.. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there to support you..” He choked on his sobs, looking at her with a pained smile. “I wish I could’ve been there to see you two.. I wish I could’ve met her.. I’m sure she’s an amazing person, Lieserl. I’m so happy you found someone.. I..”
Wiping tears from his eyes he smiled at her. “Nothing means more to me than knowing you’ve found someone to be with for all these years.. I’m sure she’s a good girl.”
“You’re giving her too much credit, dear Karl~ She could do better!”
Einstein sighed. “Emma.. You’re still mad that Nikola was able to get married yet you were unable to.. You were crying tears of joy and wouldn’t stop telling everyone we were married for months after the fact..”
Planck glared at her. “Now now dear Lieserl.”
“Haha.. Anyways..” He said quickly in an attempt to change the conversation. “Has anything else happened?”
“Oh.. Yes, actually.. Dr. Tesla and I run an entire organization now, though Emma might have already told you.”
“I haven’t told him a thing, dear.. We only reunited a little while before you fell asleep..”
“Wait.. I’m asleep..?”
“Yes, dear.. It’s the only way we could come see you..”
She thought to herself. “This.. This feels too real..”
“It is, dear.. All of this is real, but it’s a dream. You’re in bed I assume, unless Nikola knocked you out-”
“.. Emma please stop saying stuff like that in front of Karl.. You know she would never hurt me. You’re scaring him.” She glanced at Karl who was indeed scared and staring at her wide eyed.
“Fine fine dear~”
“Speaking of this.. Karl.. How.. How are you here?”
He looked down, unsure of what to say. “Lieserl.. I was free’d from that purgatory..”
“T-The core of reason..? How.. That’s impossible.”
“The girl over that.. Core? She free’d us.. Welt is with her now I believe..”
Einstein looked down trying to process what she just heard. “Bronya..” Karl put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.
“It’s okay, Lieserl.. She had to. We’ll be okay. She’s a good girl, I trust her and her friends to do the right thing.”
She sat there trying to process it all. Their friend had been there all along. Hiding from them just out of sight, and now that she knew it was already too late. Neither her nor Tesla would be able to say their final goodbyes. It was too much to process if she was being honest.
“Dr. Einstein,” she looked up in surprise, not expecting to hear that. “I want you to know how proud I am.. You’ve done everything you can, and I’m so proud to call you my student, and my daughter. I wish I could’ve been there to see you grow up,” he wiped a tear away and took a breath. “I believe in you, Lieserl. You can do anything that you want to.. I trust that you’ll help make the world a better place.”
“I..” Tears rolled down her face as she processed everything. Hearing those words hurt her so much. She always wanted to hear them, to know he was proud of her, and finally hearing them broke her heart. “T-Thank you.. Dad.. I..” She wiped her face on her sleeve before continuing. “I.. I promise you I’ll continue on and do my best.. You have my word, you annoying old man..”
She hugged him tightly, terrified to let go. She didn’t want to lose him, not again. After all these years she finally got the reunion she wanted, yet she knew it would end as soon as the sun came up. “I love you, Karl.. I miss you. I miss you so much.. Even today I..”
She went silent, not knowing what to say. After a few minutes she remembered something and hesitantly looked at Planck, still holding onto her dear mentor. “Emma.. Schrodinger’s alive.. She found us, she’s back..”
“S-She.. She is..?”
“Yes… We’re all together again, Mom..”
Planck started crying as she hugged onto her and Karl.
They sat there in silence as the sun slowly went down, signaling their time together was coming to an end.
“We’ll be gone soon, Lieserl..”
“W-Wait.. No please-” Einstein held even tighter. “Please don’t leave me again.. I don’t want to lose you again. I can’t.. Not after all this..”
“It’s okay, Lieserl.. We’ll always be with you,” Karl said choking back tears. “We’ve always been with you, and always will be. We’re proud of you, Lieserl.. We love you, and we always will.”
“H-Hey.. Maybe we can come visit you again sometime,” Emma said with a forced smile. Tears were forming in her eyes and her voice shook. “I.. I’m not sure how all this works.. But maybe..”
Einstein desperately clung onto them. At this point her entire face was red as she sobbed in pain, desperately begging even though she knew it was worthless. “Please. Please Emma, Karl.. Please don’t leave me again.. Please come back.. I don’t want to lose you again..”
Emma patted her head and smiled. “We’ll try, dear.. We’ll try..”
Karl looked down at Einstein trying desperately not to cry. “The summer’s gone, and all the roses are falling..”
She looked up helplessly, pain in her eyes. “I-It’s you, i-it’s you m-must go and I-I must abide..”
Planck looked at Karl and slightly smiled.“But come ye back when the summers in the meadow, or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow..”
“It’s I’ll be here in sunshine or shadow..”
As the sun set she felt them disappearing, no matter how much she held onto them. She could barely speak and her voice shook. “Oh, Danny boy, o-oh Danny boy, I love you so..”
Both of them smiled down at her as they faded.
“I’m so proud of you, Dr. Einstein.. Never forget that, I’ll always be watching you, Lieserl.”
“Lieserl.. I love you, and I always have. I’m sorry for leaving you.. I really am..” She choked on her tears. “Tell Nikola and Schrodinger I loved them too.. I’m sorry I never got the chance to see you together again..”
“W-Wait.. Please… Please WAIT! STOP! DON’T GO!”
“We love you, Lieserl.. You’re a good girl, we’ll always be proud to call you our own.”
Everything went silent. Once again she was left alone with her own thoughts. The pain only hers to bear. She sat there in the garden alone, unable to think properly. It hurt so badly. Having those she lost be so close, yet out of reach once again.
After what felt like an eternity she finally woke up to the disaster next to her shaking her awake looking scared.
“Lieserl! Oh thank god.. You scared me..”
Without warning she grabbed on to Tesla and started bawling, barely even able to process anything.
“H-Hey Lieserl??” Tesla stammered. After a few seconds she processed what was happening and wrapped her arms around her, patting her. “I-It’ll be okay.. I’m here.. Nothing can hurt you now, I promise..”
Her grip tightened around her to the point Tesla felt as if she was being crushed. “K-Karl.. Emma.. They left me.. They left me alone again..”
Tesla hugged her tightly, desperately trying to figure out what to say. “Lieserl..”
“T-They’re gone again.. I.. Nikola they left me again...”
“It’ll be okay, Lieserl, please try to breathe.. I’m here..” She squeezed her tightly and patted her.
“Please.. Please don’t leave me Nikola.. I can’t take it..”
She stared at her stunned. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for either of them to have nightmares, yet she was still worried and scared. She’d never seen her react this badly before. “L-Lieserl..? I wouldn’t even think about it.. You know I love you.. I always have and always will.. You’d have to go through hell to get me away from you..”
Einstein looked up at her. The pain in her eyes was unlike anything she’d ever seen before, even when their world was destroyed. Her heart hurt seeing her like this.
“H-Hey.. It’ll be okay… I promise I’m not going anywhere.. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
She slightly smiled at that, calming down even if it was just by a little. Shoving her face back into Tesla’s arm she cried as Tesla tried her best to comfort her. Even if she wasn’t the best at it, the fact she was trying made up for it.