A/N: I started this back in February for an f/f event, but I only now got around to uploading it. Hopefully it's still enjoyed. It contains full game spoilers, and standard trigger warnings for UR-1 apply: Death, Aura's abusiveness, etc. Thank you to Glitteringworlds and Queenlua for beta reading.

Aura completed the time machine a week before Simon's execution. It wasn't bad timing, though thanks to the machine, an extra week wouldn't have done much except snap some tension. Still, she wasted no time in running it. The robots wailed oil-based tears, begging her to bring them, but she displayed no sympathy as she told them she'd be with them in a happier time, one where Mommy Metis would be with them.

"Besides, I need you to operate the machine. I'd hate to get lost in the prehistoric age."

"Yes, yes, we'll guide you back to Mommy," they cried, twirling around her while she stalled in front of the rocket-shaped machine and traced its crescent moon knobs. As soon as she stepped through, these versions of Ponco and Clonco would be lost to her, and no matter how she'd avoided it, she was their mama. Given the choice between staying with their grief-molded models and joining their mother, however, there was no question. After giving the robots their final orders, she entered the machine and strapped herself in. The door slid shut, closing her off from a world she'd never revisit—if this worked.

She'd sent back and retrieved a bird, a test Simon would have ranted about, but this would be the first human time travel. It was monumental, but she wouldn't make it public for Director Cosmos to boast about his imaginary involvement in. The potential for failure carried only one fear: the chance that she'd search through space-time and still never find Metis. The possibility of dying didn't bother her. If it happened, well, there was only a week left.

For years she'd filled the holes in her heart with metal, but now its thumping drowned out the whir of the machine. She closed her eyes and waited.

xxxxxxx

When she woke, a blanket covered her—unusual, since she always kicked them off—and her pillow felt cool against her neck, though she'd finally started unscrewing her hair before falling into bed. Her first thought was that she'd been dreaming. She'd never built a time machine, never even dreamed of the idea before that night, and she'd be forever stuck in her wretched life without even a brother to scream at.

Intending to scream into her pillow, she rolled over, but her forehead collided with something hard. She cursed as she propped herself up, preparing to yell at whichever robot decided to spend the night, but when she opened her eyes, her voice died.

Metis lay there, her eyes wide, her hands shifting between covering her ears and holding the back of her head. Before Aura's mind could catch up, her palms pressed against Metis's ears.

"Sorry," she mouthed. "I forgot."

And she had forgotten—forgotten how soft Metis's skin was, how dark the rim around her eyes in the morning, how the hair on the side she slept on stood up. But she hadn't forgotten how to take care of her, or how her chest warmed when Metis rested her head against it.

She pulled Metis close and buried herself in her, breathing in her scent—a mix of tea and metal with soap—as if she could retake seven years of mourning with one embrace. Metis yawned, but Aura knew better than to think she wasn't alert.

"Your heartbeat is erratic," Metis said. Aura pressed a smile against her hair.

"It'll steady soon," she said.

xxxxxxx

Not wanting to leave their bedroom, Aura hated the moment Metis pulled away, but they had work to do. She spent the morning catching up on her past self's progress, shaking her head at outdated methods and fumbling due to assumptions about her equipment's models. She and Metis talked little, a fact that once wouldn't have bothered her. Unfortunately, slipping back into a natural rhythm proved difficult. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Metis was there, despite easily reverting her routine: adjusting the lab temperature whenever she caught Metis shivering, brewing a cup of tea with her coffee, sneaking more glances at Metis than a schoolchild with a crush.

It didn't take long for frustration to emerge. She wanted to pull Metis aside and make up for lost time, but to Metis, there was no lost time, leaving her as quiet and distant as ever. Aura had forgotten exactly how quiet—several times she bumped into Metis due to not hearing her move behind her. Each time Metis scurried past like a mouse afraid to wake the cat.

That was another thing Aura forgot. They didn't touch much during the day, even though they were official and nobody but the robots was around. At the time, it felt necessary for professionals, but it all seemed like a pointless dance now.

When the buzzing in her head canceled out prudence, she smacked Clonco in response to his question about new parts. "I'm trying to think, you hunk of…"

Metis's horrified expression brought Aura back to the present—her past. She stood awkwardly, trying to remember how to control herself while Clonco wailed.

"I'm going to go check our budget," she muttered.

"Yes, do that," Metis said tightly, her expression softening as she knelt to comfort Clonco.

A foul mood hung over Aura while she stalked down the corridor. She thought she'd left all the bad things behind, though in hindsight that type of naivety belonged to the space program's youngest recruits. Either way, she couldn't become complacent. If she didn't save Metis, she'd have accomplished nothing except twisting the proverbial knife.

Before she could think further, her brother rounded the corner. The sight of Simon's face—unmarked, peaceful, framed by hair that only needed a slight trim—slammed her with almost maternal emotion. She pulled her expression into one as unaffected as possible, trying to remember how they'd interacted before he cut her out.

"Have you seen Athena?" he asked. The concern in his tone made her hand clench. "I fear the commotion from the launch preparations has overwhelmed her."

"No, I haven't seen the princess…" She pressed her lips together. Simon's eyes narrowed at her tone; thank goodness she'd always been abrasive, or that look might have been suspicion and not disapproval. "…since last night. Have you checked her room?"

"I'll do so." He moved to walk past but hesitated, scrunching his face as he stepped toward her. "Is something…amiss?"

Her heartbeat quickened. She fruitlessly commanded it to shush. "Like what?"

"Your face, it's…" He tilted his head. "Older?"

Of course he would notice. She was almost twice his age now, she realized as she swatted him; maybe those maternal feelings weren't too far off. "Didn't I ever teach you manners?"

"Funny, coming from you."

"Spare me, goody two-shoes." A seed of pain planted in her chest. The banter felt natural, like he hadn't spent years as the twisted samurai rather than her little teacher's pet.

"Seriously, though—you seem worn out," he said. "I know that this launch is…"

She tuned out his vague rant about she-didn't-know-what. The launch. The time she'd come from had been preparing for one, too. She wished she'd had the robots send her further back, so she'd have time to relax before…

No. She'd come back to prevent that. There'd be time for them to all be together later.

"Stop being a mother hen," she said, cutting him off just as he lowered his voice to curse the government. "You're my little brother. Act like it." She clapped a hand on his shoulder. "And get some damn sleep. Those bags…"

She stopped herself. "I can picture them forming already," she finished.

After parting ways, she located the nearest mirror with a frown. She'd looked young for someone in her late thirties, but maybe early thirties was a different matter. There was nothing to do but apply extra makeup and scare anyone else that commented.

Athena, as it turned out, was not in her room, a fact Aura learned when she returned to the lab with a pocketful of the mints Metis liked swiped from the front desk. The princess stood in front of Metis, who adjusted her headphones with her eyes trained on a screen.

"It's a chaotic couple of days," Metis was saying. "I need to ensure the headphones' output matches your emotional input."

"I don't understand," Athena said, wriggling away from Metis's touch. "I want to go draw."

From the doorway, Aura's blood boiled. I want, I want… She'd already seen the outcome of Athena's ungrateful wanting. Awkwardness and consideration once made her keep her distance from the pair, but she wasn't letting Athena get her way again.

"Princess," she said, stepping forward. "Metis has your best interests in mind, so do what she says, all right?"

She kept the poison from her voice, but it was futile; Athena could hear, as her sudden stillness demonstrated. Oblivious to the source, Metis took advantage of it to finish the test before releasing Athena, who ran off.

With Metis's killer gone, Aura moved to continue her work before a hand on her elbow stopped her.

"Aura…may I speak with you?"

Metis's solemn tone made Aura uneasy. She breathed out before turning with a smile. "What is it?"

"Your aggression earlier…I know you're a brusque person, but this...it's not like you. Has something happened?"

Aura huffed in frustration. This would be easier if she wasn't dealing with a psychologist, a fact that caused strain in their relationship even before she had seven years of trauma to hide. Luckily, she was experienced at hiding it.

"You said yourself it's been chaotic," Aura said, shrugging. "It should even out in a few days."

"That's good to hear, because if that should happen again…"

"It won't," Aura said. "Believe me."

Metis studied her before tilting her face toward the corner. "I'm not the one you should be reassuring."

Clonco stood with his hands over his face. Half of her remorseful, half of her finding it a bother, Aura moved over to him and crouched.

"Sorry, H—Clonco. That's the last time I'll hit you, all right?"

Aura felt a twinge at the moment's significance, one that would be lost on Clonco. He vibrated. "My database says 'junk' means 'garbage.' Mama Aura, do you really think I'm garbage?"

Five taunts leapt to her mouth. She swallowed each of them and rolled her tongue as if tasting their bitterness. "No," she said, eying parts she could have constructed better, his smallness and general lack of presence. "I don't."

Shifting moods as immediately as the princess tended to, he waved his arms around with a smile. "Yay! Thank you, Mama Aura!"

Aura found herself returning his smile without having to think about it. As a robot, Clonco left much to be desired, but as her and Metis's child, he stirred a love she'd long forgotten.

Glancing at Metis, Aura found apparent approval. Relieved, she returned to her and dug the mints out of her pocket.

"Thought you deserved a treat after all your work," she said. Metis took them, her eyes wide with delight. It doesn't take much, Aura thought, fondly shaking her head.

In an instant, the tension in her chest snapped, threatening to yank her heart clear out. As automatically as a programmed robot she pulled Metis into an embrace, causing Metis to stiffen in her hold, which was more desperate than any of the brushes of fingers Aura once saw as a daytime treat.

"Aura…?"

Her name spoken in that voice melted all of her sharp edges. Metis was here, Metis was alive, it was Metis's cheek that pressed against hers and Metis's hand that reached to touch her shoulder.

"I…I make mistakes sometimes," Aura said. "I'll do better from now on, all right?"

She stopped herself before she could get choked up. Metis looked bemused when Aura pulled away, smiling lightly at Metis before returning to her work. Her mind wasn't fully engaged, but her hands could sort out the logic of robotics even while the rest of her tingled from the energy of the warm body in the room.

xxxxxxx

Keeping Athena away from Metis was Aura's first priority. Unfortunately, beyond kidnapping or killing her, she couldn't separate mother and daughter permanently, and while she'd considered those options, she couldn't do them when Metis would mourn.

But if it's a choice between her and Metis…

No—she was a scientist, a problem solver. She'd find other solutions before it came to that.

First, to isolate Athena from Metis on the day of the launch. Aura spent launches on standby in case her technical expertise was needed, which is why she hadn't been in the lab. That would be fine—as long as Athena wasn't, either.

"It would be such an exciting experience," she told Athena, who sat on her bed clutching a toy robot Aura had made her. It was a simple model, more scrap than Clonco, but she still felt the urge to snatch it away. "How many children can say they've helped with an actual launch?"

Athena's fingers slid into her mouth. "'m different enough fr'm the other kids already." Aura yanked the fingers out; they should have cleared her of the habit years ago.

"This isn't like that," Aura said, forcing herself not to feel pity. She hadn't been the most 'normal' kid, either, but…at least she hadn't killed her mother. Crouching, she rested her chin in her hands. "I bet the others would be impressed. This launch is all over the news, after all."

"Is it?" Athena stared vacantly at her fingers, which she was wiping on the sheet. Aura withheld a sigh. Even before everything, she'd never been good at reaching Athena. Manipulating her proved trickier than controlling programming.

Before she could formulate a plan B, Athena looked up. "Why do you hate me?"

Caught off guard, Aura fixed a smile on her face. "Why would you ask that?"

Athena looked away—since she read moods through voices, she rarely maintained eye contact, causing her teachers to phone home about her social skills. Who cares if she doesn't want to look at your dull faces all day, had once been Aura's defensive response.

"I can hear it," Athena said, switching into a cross-legged position and bouncing her knees."You're usually unhappy around me, but since the other day you've wanted to hurt me."

Aura's smile dropped. Athena's tone didn't change, and Aura didn't know if she was apathetic or about to cry. How could she lie to someone who always heard the difference?

That's when the idea hit. This was the girl who believed robots were people, believed she could punish her mother and fix her again good as new. If anybody would believe Aura's story, it would be her.

Why not tell the truth?

Devilish delight sparked. How hurt would the princess be to learn that not only her mother, but also her precious knight were to die at her hands? She must have some conscience, after all, within all of that unforgivable ignorance.

Aura's wrists trembled under her chin. She took a breath, steadying herself as she stood. Hurting Athena wasn't her goal, not now.

"If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it between the two of us?"

"Yes," Athena said. "I'm better at secrets than Clonco."

A bug Aura had never managed to straighten out, even with years of punishment. She sat next to Athena and smoothed the sheets, a flower print set from Juniper Woods that clashed with the rocket-shaped bed Metis built.

"The truth is, I'm from the future." Aura didn't bother sweetening her voice; if Athena heard her tone and emotion match, perhaps she'd trust her more. "I've already lived through the next seven years. See?" She leaned close, causing Athena to jerk back, and took off her goggles. "The skin around my eyes is wrinkled, isn't it?"

Athena scrunched her face like Simon had. "So you're seven years older than you were a few days ago?" Her tone sounded perfectly matter of fact.

"Yes. And in all of that that time, I experienced a lot. I know many things you don't."

Athena winced; Aura's venom must have sounded as destructive as a computer virus. She twirled her ponytail around her hands. "And it made you hate me? Is that why you came back? To punish me?"

Aura laughed. "You're a sharp kid, but no. If all goes well, it won't come to that. Otherwise…" She shrugged before leaning in. "I came back, Athena Cykes, to stop you."

The princess looked the picture of innocent confusion. "Stop me? From what?"

Aura's fingers dug into the sheets. "You can't fool me," she snarled. "I told you, I've been through it. I know what you're planning tomorrow."

Athena covered her ears. "I don't know what you mean," she said, her voice quivering.

Aura laughed again, not bothering to soften its volume like she once would have. "Oh, I trust we understand each other. But now you know why I'm not letting you out of my sights."

Seeming to give up, Athena flopped onto her side so that she could pull the pillow around her ears. "So that's why you want me at the launch?"

"Smart girl. You will come with me, won't you?"

Athena nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. It was amazing how small she looked when Aura stood, peering down at her. She'd be so easy to break, yet she managed to destroy Aura's entire life.

Something in the setting—the glow-in the-dark stars on the wall, the nightstand Metis carved a moon into, or even the way Athena's fingers slipped back to her mouth—pulled Aura back seven years, when the scene would have given her maternal contentment. The echo of the feeling clashed with her hatred, giving her what she thought might be a taste of the mixed input Athena received on a daily basis.

She pressed her nails into her palm, breathing out. Though Athena wouldn't see it, she smirked as if to reset her programming.

"It's settled, then. And remember—breathe a word of this to anyone, and you'll be sorry. Especially Metis. Do you understand?"

Athena removed her fingers long enough to pinch her lips in agreement. On the way out, Aura caught sight of a painting on the door, one of Ponco and Clonco flying alongside little Taka. Her smirk disappeared.

"You'll never have my forgiveness," she said in a low voice. "But if you want my trust, you'll have to earn it."

Before waiting for a response, she left. Her satisfaction evaporated quickly, leaving her with dread. It wouldn't be so easy as one round of intimidation, especially now that she'd handed Athena a card to play. Now she had to steel herself to keep the princess from the throne at all costs.