Alba Inherits the Displacement

This thread follows Alba from an anticipated child to a time traveler who develops more control than Henry ever possessed.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Child Henry Fears

The Child Henry Fears Inheritance shadows conception Henry worries that a child may inherit his time displacement, even as he wants to give Clare a family. Clare hopes for a baby who will remain with her when Henry vanishes. The fear cannot be settled in advance Their uncertainty does not prevent them from trying. The future child exists first as both a desired person and a possible repetition of Henry’s hardship.

A Future Daughter Appears

A Future Daughter Appears Henry meets Alba early Henry travels to the Art Institute and recognizes ten-year-old Alba during a school visit. She greets him as her father, though he has not yet experienced her birth. The inheritance is confirmed Alba explains that she is a Chrono-Displaced Person and can sometimes travel deliberately. Henry is overwhelmed by love and by the knowledge that she will grow up with a condition he cannot cure.

Birth and a Second Time Traveler

Birth and a Second Time Traveler Alba reaches the family After a long labor, Clare gives birth while Henry experiences an involuntary absence and returns before the delivery ends. He receives Alba as she enters the world. The family accepts uncertainty Henry and Clare know that Alba may inherit his condition, but they welcome her without making her diagnosis the whole of her identity. Her birth begins a life that belongs to her, not merely to their fears.

Two Albas Meet

Two Albas Meet A child visits herself Three-year-old Alba plays in the yard with her seven-year-old self, who arrives through time. The older girl recognizes Henry and cries in his arms, carrying knowledge of a future Clare does not yet know. Henry protects Clare from the full truth He asks older Alba not to tell her mother that he died. The meeting shows the family already navigating secrecy across generations, as Henry tries to protect both Clare and the younger Alba.

A Safety Net for Alba

A Safety Net for Alba Henry authorizes the research After learning that no effective treatment is possible for him, Henry allows Kendrick to use Alba’s DNA for research. He hopes the work might give her options when she is old enough to decide. Clare consents reluctantly Clare fears the risks of gene therapy but understands Henry’s motive. Their disagreement resolves into a limited act of parental protection, not a guarantee that Alba will want or need a cure.

Spring 1996

November 16, 2011

September 5–6, 2001

June 12, 2005

July 14, 2006