"We don't have to go home," Eve was saying as tears filled her blue eyes and threatened to spill down her pale cheeks. Behind her, the lions returned to their protective stance in the Library thus concluding its vital return amidst the chaos of the drab asylum that Nicole had trapped them in. "We're already there."
Cassandra exchanged hopeful glances with her friends as more and more color filled in. She couldn't believe her eyes as their reality shifted and changed around them – they'd done it. They'd brought the Library back together. Never again would she question whether there should be one or more Librarians. Maybe in the past one had been enough, but right now, the Library needed every single one of them. And they needed the Library, as well.
"Quick, Flynn!" Eve suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Cassandra's thoughts. "Grab Nicole!"
"What?" the Librarian asked, glancing back at Nicole as the colorless world slowly disappeared. "Why?"
"We need to try to take her back to the Library with us! So grab her before she disappears!" Eve yelled, standing and pulling the others up with her. "Let's move towards the fence, but don't let go of each other!"
The previous guardian had no time to react as Flynn and Cassandra each grabbed one of her hands through the chain link just in time for the Library to completely finish materializing around them.
Before anyone could celebrate, however, the Library began to rumble as if an earthquake had hit. There was a clattering around them like a hailstorm on a tin roof that quickly escalated in volume. Then, beginning as a dull roar, an ominous rumble like distant thunder emanated from somewhere within the Library, sounding like a million angry bees swarming towards them as it intensified.
"What's happening?" Cassandra asked, shielding her ears with her hands as she frantically looked around for the source. She could feel her eardrums vibrating inside of her head, and it hurt.
"It's the artifacts!" Flynn answered, wincing from the thunderous noise as everyone shielded their ears from the deafening cacophony around them. "They're – "
With no warning, Cal appeared from around the corner of one of the nearest shelves and sliced through the air straight to Nicole, growling as it did so. It wasn't a playful growl, either; Cassandra had never heard it make such menacing sound.
"Cal, no!" Flynn answered, panic rising in his voice as he rushed towards Nicole. She stood with her head back as far as she could hold it to keep it away from Cal's blade that was dangerously close to her throat.
"The artifacts are mad, aren't they?" Jacob asked, the ear-splitting roar finally beginning to quiet.
"Yes," Flynn answered, trying to remove Cal from pressing its sharp edge against Nicole's throat but unable to budge it. "They're angry at Nicole for betraying them. Cal, come on. This is partially my fault, too."
"Your fault?" Ezekiel asked. "How is this partially your fault? Just because you couldn't go back for her? You didn't even know!"
"You had nothing to do with destroying the Library, Flynn!" Cassandra chimed in, a dark part of her hoping Cal would just end Nicole once and for all. "She deceived all of us! She kidnapped you! She – " A vision of their beloved caretaker appeared in her mind, causing a painful flood of memories to come rushing back. The trial…everyone fighting each other in that field…their nightmares…returning to the Library…the dagger piercing his chest. "She killed Jenkins!" she cried out, the words getting stuck in her throat. Some of her memories were still a little fuzzy. She could remember the ones that she'd had in the Nicole-created world – she'd dreamt of Jenkins more than once but never knew who he was – but all of the real memories were surfacing. The anguish of losing him was as raw as the day it happened.
"Guys, not helping," Eve told them as she rushed over and tried to help Flynn pull Cal away from Nicole's throat, but the sword refused to move.
Nicole, too afraid to speak, tried to take a step back, but Cal instantly adjusted, remaining pressed against her jugular vein.
"Don't move!" Flynn told her, frantically glancing around. "Help me…we've got to find something to –"
A tall mirror similar to the one usually located in the annex materialized beside of Cassandra, startling her. A throat clearing got everyone's attention.
"Um…Flynn…I told Cal to do that."
Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice, their jaws dropping when they saw who was standing there.
"Judson!" Flynn exclaimed in happiness as he rushed over to the mirror. "What are you…I thought you were gone!"
"I still am, Flynn," Judson answered, his eyes narrowed in anger. "I'm only here to deal with her."
Flynn glanced over at Nicole and then back at Judson, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"She will have to stand trial, of course," Judson explained, the tone of his voice strained. "She acted unforgivably against the Library and will be prosecuted accordingly."
"What? No! No, Judson," Flynn pleaded with a shake of his head. "Please. What's happened is partially my fault, and you know that. I should have tried to go after her! She suffered for hundreds of years! She – "
" – failed the test, Flynn."
" – waited and waited for me, and I never…wait…what?"
"A test?" Jacob asked, glancing at the others. "What kind of test lasts hundreds of years?"
Looking over at Nicole who had still not spoken – afraid Cal would slice her throat if she did – Judson answered, "The Library was considering Ms. Noone to be its guardian, and when she was sent back in time, it thought it the perfect opportunity to put her strength and loyalty to the test. Not only did she fail, but she also stole artifacts, disrupted the natural timeline and completely destroyed the Library. That cannot go unpunished."
"But I – " Nicole started to say, but Cal pushed harder on her throat, silencing her once more.
"How will she be punished?" Eve asked.
"That is yet to be determined," Judson answered simply. "Now, if you'll excuse us. We need to prepare."
A large metal cage in the rough shape of a person appeared from behind the Ark of the Covenant and enclosed itself around Nicole, clamping shut and sealing her inside as Cal moved away from her.
"What is this?" Nicole screamed, fighting to open the metal hooks and clamps in the medieval coffin torture device. "Let me out!"
"You will remain in this until sentencing is complete," Judson told her before turning his attention to the eldest Librarian. "By the way, Flynn, there's an emergency in the annex."
I know...evil cliffhanger. This is basically a one-shot that I divided up so y'all wouldn't have to wait months for it. I figured a little was better than none.
There were elements of the season finale that I didn't particularly agree with, and so I thought I'd write my own 'finale alternative'. That's the beauty of fanfiction, after all.
There will be at least one more short chapter...maybe two...it just depends on how quickly I can get it written and edited.
Yes, I'm still working on my other Jenkins/Cassandra story, as well.
P.S. If you're a John Larroquette fan, make sure to follow Larroquettishes on either FB or Twitter! ;)