Author's Note: One more chapter left, after this.

Enjoy!


Seo stood, some ways away from Maximilien de Robespierre. Her body cast in the shadows of night, as she approached. Having just heard the news, from Dawn.

"Let Christine go," Seo demanded, quietly. "Or I'll free her, myself."

Maximilien turned to face her. Slightly taken aback by the expression on her face.

He dropped all traces of question from his stance. As he advanced towards her, his eyes gentle, reaching out for her.

She sidestepped his embrace.

"You never believed in capital punishment," said Seo. "You said it should be outlawed. That all people were good, inside."

"And they are," Maximilien said. "Virtue is the soul of democracy. But we have tyrants surrounding us, from without, waiting to charge and restore monarchy. Just as we have traitors within, willing to help the invaders." His voice dropped, a little, gently. "It only takes one traitor in the midst of a city under siege, to unlock the doors and let the enemy inside."

Seo's gaze remained hard. Unchanging.

"That's the Marquis," said Seo. "What about Christine?"

"If we kill the brother, she will destroy the revolution out of spite and revenge," said Maximilien. "She must be eliminated for the greater good. Unfortunate. But unavoidable."

Seo's expression grew that much harder.

Maximilien sighed. "I know," he said. "It is deplorable, certainly. After all, Christine de Crevant-Cingé is truly an innocent. But what else can I do, Mademoiselle Seo? If it were you, in my place, would you do any different?" He gestured at the world around him. "Would you give up the chance to save your own people for the sake of one innocent?"

Seo looked away. "I've done it once before," she whispered.

Maximilien stared at her. Dumbstruck.

"Just remember, Maximilien — I gave you a chance to release Christine, yourself," said Seo. "Peacefully. With no violence. No bloodshed." She met his eyes with her own. "What happens next is on your head."

Then she turned. And slipped away into the moonlight.


Never had Christine been more surprised than when she, condemned to death, in the midst of prayer and trying to come to terms with God, had heard the sounds of a fight breaking out, amongst the guards. No, not a fight amongst the guards. Whoever was fighting, it sounded like the guards were certainly losing.

The thud of a guard hitting the ground, and then a familiar voice rang through the air.

"I guess sometimes violence is the answer, huh?"

Christine raced forwards. She knew that voice anywhere. "Dawn!"

The door to her cell swung open. But it wasn't Dawn, standing there, freeing her from her prison and her death. No. It was the niece, her visage looking like an avenging angel, her eyes blazing with a determination Christine had scarcely seen in anyone, before.

"Come with us," said Seo.

And so Christine followed them, outside of the cell. Past the guards that Seo had beaten up, and out towards freedom.

Stopped, just before the exit of the prison. As they came face-to-face with Robespierre, and a full battalion of soldiers at his command.

"You shouldn't have done this," said Robespierre, through his teeth, to Seo.

Seo didn't seem even remotely concerned. "Going to shoot me without a trial, then?" she asked. Tilted her head to the side. "Another innocent sacrificed for your revolution?"

"You've broken into a prison and released a dangerous criminal," said Robespierre. "You're hardly innocent."

Seo met his eyes. "And neither are you."

Then, in a burst of movement, Dawn grabbed up Christine, and the three of them raced into a nearby glass pillar, which had been nestled into the shadows of the prison, and which Christine hadn't noticed, before. Gunshots echoing around them, as Dawn and Christine raced into the pillar, and…

Christine stared at the impossible surroundings. Unable to take it all in.

Seo, in the meantime, stood in the threshold of the ship. Facing down Robespierre, who'd ordered the guards to hold fire — and he meant it, this time!

"You can't hide in there, forever," Maximilien said. "We'll shatter the glass, force our way inside, and get you out."

Seo grinned. Didn't answer.

Maximilien's rage grew, and he stepped forwards, tossing his hands in the air. "Why?" he demanded. "Her death is for the greater good. Why condemn yourself and your aunt just to save someone who should be sacrificed? Why put all those lives at risk for the sake of one individual?"

Seo crossed her arms. Leaning against the threshold of her ship.

"I guess," she said, "I'm corruptible."

Then slipped inside the ship.

Which, with a mechanical roar, disappeared from sight. Never to return.


They dropped Christine off in Paris in the near-future. Somewhere she could be safe, without having to worry about their untimely intervention messing with history.

And then they departed, once more.

They arrived on some planet in the future that was actually just one huge library planet. On opening day. Seo immediately darting for the history section, to look up France, 1793.

Robespierre.

She stared at the page of the book. Seeing the man she'd thought so wonderful, and reading of what he did next. All the people he'd go on to kill.

"I can't believe it," said Seo. Flipping the page, and continuing to read. "All those people. Everything he did…"

Dawn shrugged.

Seo looked up at her aunt. "He was so against the death penalty," she said. "So passionate about saving lives. He cared about people, Dawn. Really cared about protecting the lives of those less fortunate than himself."

"Weird way of showing it," said Dawn.

Seo's eyes drifted back down to the book. "We were so alike," said Seo. "So much alike." She shut the book. "The only difference was… when he asked me if I would murder one innocent to save the rest of the world… I couldn't say yes."

Dawn thought of when she'd been a teenager, up there on a platform, a multiverse-destroying portal opening up beneath her, and Buffy trying to decide what to do. Unwilling to let Dawn jump and kill herself to end the destruction.

"Neither could your mom," said Dawn. She put a hand on Seo's shoulder, gave her a warm smile. "It's why we're both still alive."

Seo returned the smile, a little timidly.

"Come on," said Dawn, turning around. "I've had enough Robespierre to last a lifetime. Let's go see if we can figure out when and where that Martin Luther King speech was."