A/N: Hello my beautiful readers! I'm sorry that I haven't been updating my romance fic in a while- school is a killer and personally, I'm getting strapped for ideas :/ This is a new project, as mentioned, a sort of sequel to "Broken Circle," except not exactly so happy. Fills in the events between Anna's wedding and the end of Booker's life. And believe me, it won't be easy... Anyways, hope you enjoy and R&R!
"Daddy, are you happy for me?" Anna said to Booker.
Booker looked up from his cup of coffee. It was early in the morning and it was two weeks after Anna had been married to Jack Ryanson, the dashing Great War veteran. She has stopped by for a quick visit before her and Jack were to leave for their honeymoon in Paris in three days time.
"Of course, Anna. If you're happy with this, then I am happy as well," Booker replied. Anna smiled nervously from her seat across from Booker. "Oh, good, daddy. At the wedding, I just wasn't so sure if you still didn't approve of Jack."
Booker smirked and shook his head. "Anna, you know that I like him. He was a soldier, just like I was. We share common ground. And if he is the one you love and he will truly take care of you forever, then I can't stop it. Now stop thinking that I don't, because all I want is for you to be happy," Booker said to her. She sighed.
"I don't know, daddy. I'm going to miss not being around, here in New York," she said. Booker got up and put a hand on her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll always be here. But you really shouldn't worry, Anna. Go forth, live your life!" Booker said enthusiastically. Anna smiled and slowly nodded. "If you insist..."
Booker dropped his hand and got up to put away his plates. "So, how has Jack adjusted to civilian life? Did he get a new job yet?"
"Oh, yeah, he did. He got the construction job he applied to. With all those new- what are they calling them- skyscrapers going up, they need all the workers they can get," she said.
"Mm," Booker said thoughtfully. Times were sure changing. Buildings getting bigger, cities growing...
A loud rap at the apartment's door interrupted his thoughts. "Now who could that be?" Booker wondered aloud. Anna shrugged. "I don't think it can be Jack, he should be at work," she said.
Booker opened the door. And quickly shut it when he saw who was waiting.
"Who was it, daddy? Why'd you shut the door?" Anna asked. Booker quickly went to sit down at his seat. "No one. They had the wrong address."
A cry came from the door. "Mr. DeWitt! Open this door! We need to talk, this is important!"
Booker gritted his teeth and stomped over to his door and flung it open. The Luteces pushed passed him inside and slammed the door closed. Booker looked like he was about to punch someone and Anna looked from her seat in mute confusion.
"Who are you people?" she asked. Rosalind Lutece slumped against a wall and waved her hand. "Not important right now. We must talk to your father," she said.
"What do you want from me?" Booker asked.
"It's not what we want," Robert Lutece said.
"It's what everyone else wants!"Rosalind gasped. Booker shook his head. "What are you two talking about?"
"Mr. DeWitt, do you remember the dream you had when you first entered Columbia? Not a dream, more so a prophetic vision, really," Rosalind finished.
"What the hell do you mean?" Booker asked. "Does this directly threaten me? My daughter?" he asked.
"It does, Mr. DeWitt, it threatens not just you and your loved ones, it threatens everyone, this whole nation, and maybe the world," Rosalind said, actually being serious and not riddling Booker for once.
"And what am I supposed to do about it?" he said. "I'm not involving myself with this again, I will not put myself in danger. Find someone else to be your damn scientific guinea pigs, I'm not doing it," Booker said angrily.
Anna spoke up. "Daddy, tell me right now what all of this is. Who are these people, what are they talking about?" Anna said. Booker tried to say something, but was interrupted by Robert.
"Never mind that, Anna, you and your father might want to get down right now," he said as he checked a pocket watch. "Why?" Anna and Booker asked at the same time. At that moment, a sound like thunder outside their window. Booker and Anna both looked out and saw a fireball heading for Booker's apartment. Booker grabbed her and pushed her down to floor away from the window and shielded her with his body seconds before the fireball hit his apartment, sending walls collapsing in and the ceiling crumbling. A chair smacked against Booker's back and Anna screamed in horror.
Once the dust settled, Booker helped Anna up and turned to the Luteces, who were hiding behind a couch. "I need answers, now!" he shouted. Rosalind dusted herself off and pointed to the now revealed New York City skyline. "Look, Mr. DeWitt." Booker and Anna tentatively went to look out.
It was like a nightmare bought to life.
Airships flew in waves over towering buildings, firing artillery at random. It was a different New York, a New York from the future. Fires burned, buildings were being toppled, and Columbian soldiers could be seen dropping down from airships and hovercrafts onto building roofs and street level. Vehicles lay wrecked and burning on the city streets, gun fire mingling with fires to light up the night. And in the distance, looking like something out of a science fiction novel was a towering Columbia, sailing in with a giant angel overlooking the carnage...
"Oh my God..." Anna whimpered, grabbing her father's arm and burying her face into his shoulder.
"What... What is this...?" Booker whispered in disbelief. "I thought I stopped this. I thought I had made sure this would never happen."
Rosalind came up behind Booker. "Mr. DeWitt, this is the reality you have created even though you tried so hard to stop it."
"It's 17th December, 1983. Columbia has come back."