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Disclaimer: BioShockInfinite does NOT belong to YuMiKo Productions.

Warning: May contain spoilers from BioShock Infinite.

Bird and Cage: Chapter Two

Breathing and Decisions

"I can't do it."

Elizabeth, face wet with tears from the thought of killing Booker in such a fashion, got down on her knees.

"I can't bring myself to kill you, Booker."

Booker, who was tasting the water a few seconds ago, was starting to readjust to breathing again. He felt his body lighten; the other Elizabeths let him go and began to disappear from his sight, fading away into universal obscurity.

"You…Why? Why wouldn't you…?"

His voice was weary from nearly drowning, but compassionate; he needed to understand what his daughter was feeling; this was the least he could do for all the pain and suffering his counterpart had caused her.

"Because," she choked out of strangled sobs, "you're the only one… The only one, Booker, who tried to make up for his sins. You chose to be killed in order to repent."

"And… That's wrong?"

Elizabeth looked to him, her face a strange mix between a smile and frown.

"No, it's not wrong. It's actually quite admirable. But it's also martyrdom."

She extended a hand to him, allowing Booker to stand on his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"I refuse to lose you, Booker. To die for your "sins" and "repent" for your "wrongs"…"

She rubbed the thimble that topped her pinky, her face twisted in sorrow and fear for what she could have done to her true father.

"…I don't think I could stand it. Booker, you're all I have."

The former Pinkerton shook his head.

"Not true; you have the entire… Multiverse… At your fingertips. New York, Columbia, that underwater city, Paris… It's all yours, Anna. I-I mean-!"

He was cut off; Booker had been given a hug from his only child.

"… Elizabeth?"

She was holding back tears and wiped away the ones that managed to escape their ocular prison and dare to fall from her lids.

"Sniff!... You called me "Anna". Booker… Father… You truly do care…"

Booker felt tears upon being called her parent; he felt blessed, but also felt that he did not deserve it. He felt that he should be dead, floating lifelessly in the baptismal pool, while his estranged and scarred-for-life daughter did whatever she wanted. What would have happened had she decided to kill him? He felt a nosebleed coming on…

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat, destroying any chance he had a shedding tears in the process, and removed her arms from his shoulders.

"So… What do you want to do, Anna?"

The daughter of the so-called "False Shepherd" smiled at hearing her name again and turned around to open a tear.

"I'm thinking…"

Before she could say "Paris", a voice interrupted her.

"Paris or Columbia?"

Booker's brows furrowed; he knew that voice. But as he turned to see its owner, he felt confused as to why the "partner" was not there.

"Columbia or Paris?"

Too late; they were now a complete set.

"Mr. and Ms. Lutece… What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth was in shock to see them here; she had assumed that whatever business they had with her and Booker was done. The private eye was surprised, too, but was cautious of their presence now more than ever; what did they want from him and Anna?

"You heard her; spit it out…"

Though he knew he couldn't do the pair harm, he felt his hands grace his Skyhook and handgun.

'… Before I make you both incapable of talking…'

"To where it started…"

"… Or where it could end."

"I don't understand…"

Elizabeth shook her head at their words, but Booker could tell what they were talking about; this was a proposition being made in riddles, though he understood their gist. After all, he had carried out similar "offers" through camouflaged statements while in the Pinkerton Agency.

"If you're asking us to go back there, then forget it. I got the girl."

Elizabeth nodded.

"And the debt has been wiped away; there's nothing else for us to do in Columbia."

Robert spoke up to her argument.

"Do you believe you that?"

Rosalind shook her head.

"It appears that you care only for your own self interests."

"You refused to kill Mr. DeWitt…"

"… Because you couldn't stand the thought of killing again…"

"… Or because you felt he truly did not deserve it."

Elizabeth placed her hands over her mouth in sorrow; she didn't like thinking back to Daisy's murder and felt disgusted that they would insinuate that she would have killed Booker.

"No… I…"

Booker intervened, brandishing his handgun.

"Both of you: Shut the hell up. We've done this dance more than once haven't we?"

Rosalind answered, nodding as Robert took a coin seemingly out of nowhere and flipped it.

"I believe we've already established that with the coin toss."

"What of it, Mr. DeWitt? Oh, look, sister… Tails."

"Then what more is there? As far as I'm concerned, we don't you."

He motioned to Elizabeth to open a tear; she nodded and began to open a tear into her paradise: Paris. Robert spoke before she could take Booker's hand have both of them go through it.

"But what if there was someone who needs-?"

Rosalind placed her own twist on his words.

"Who needed you?"

Elizabeth stopped and turned to the Luteces, the tear to Paris growing smaller and smaller.

"What are you saying?"

"Anna, you don't have to do this…"

"What do you mean that there's someone who needs us?"

Robert motioned to a small tear behind them. It was barely a tear; it seemed more like a tiny paper cut on the skin of the multiverse.

"The answer to that is inside that tear."

Rosalind motioned toward it.

"Should you choose this tear, however, you will lose all knowledge of the multiverse and the power to open larger tears."

"In this world, well… Perhaps you should find out for yourself."

Booker took Elizabeth's hand, tugging her toward the ever-shrinking Parisian tear.

"A-Anna, think about this…"

She withdrew her hand from his and glared at him.

"There's someone that we can save Booker. Don't you want to subtract at least one person from the body count?"

Booker rubbed the back of his neck and looked away in shame.

'I wouldn't mind lowering the list of casualties, Anna… But who is the son of a bitch we have to save? What do they need rescuing from?'

With his instinct telling him to interrogate the Luteces, he pointed his handgun at them.

"Would you mind telling us who we're "saving" and from who?"

Robert nodded and then shook his head.

"They are a victim of Comstock's ambition…"

Rosalind gestured them to come closer to the fledgling tear.

"…And Fink's work. They cannot escape without the girl…"

"…And will certainly respond better to the rescue if both of you…"

"…Were to work together…"

"…To save them from Columbia's fall."

Elizabeth pulled Booker's hand closer to the tear that awaited in front of them.

"Please, Booker…"

"…If we choose to save them?"

Rosalind pointed to Elizabeth.

"Like her, the rescue may trigger the explosion of the powder keg in the sky."

Elizabeth's eyes widened slowly, realizing the consequences of their potential actions.

"And…If we choose to not save them? What happens?"

Robert pointed to Booker.

"Then they will die, just as Mr. DeWitt was supposed to."

"The choice is yours…"

"…You merely have to open the tear…"

"…And then either fail…"

"…Or succeed in rescuing them."

Booker held onto Elizabeth's hand, a feeble attempt at trying to reconsider their "offer". But deep down…

"Anna…It's your choice…"

…He wanted to accept it, too.

She hugged him and then went to the tear that harbored the "new" Columbia.

"Booker, you said I have the entire multiverse at my fingertips…Would you mind if I accepted?"

He smiled and placed his handgun back into its holster.

"Not at all."

'Like father, like daughter…'

They held each other's hands as Elizabeth opened the tear and then both of them jumped through, entering the new universe.

Robert sighed, drawing a questioning look from Rosalind.

"What is wrong, brother? You got what you wanted. They're on their way to right the final wrong in this equation called the multiverse. What has you so disheartened?"

"I fear that we may have put them in a situation that is well over their heads."

"Nothing we haven't done before; it will build character."

"And possibly destroy them entirely."

"Is that all?"

"That…"

He walked toward the tear into their pocket dimension home, Rosalind following him close behind.

"…And I do believe that everything up to my ankle is sopping wet."

"Oh. Bother."

Sorry for how long this chapter was; hope you enjoyed. And please review; it is good to get feedback!