As a group they entered the shuttle bay, where a vessel from the Armstrong was waiting to collect its passengers. Admiral Halsey had made the arrangements for the two Explorer Class ships to rendezvous so that the Sadler siblings could make their way back to Earth, where the Armstrong was due for not only routine maintenance but also a rotation of some of their senior staff. Halsey hadn't given any more information than that and Kelly hadn't asked. Ultimately it didn't matter why the ship was headed back to Earth, it only mattered that it was.

Kelly stayed close by Ed's side as they made their way closer to the shuttle, not because she felt he needed her so close as he had earlier on in his recovery, but more because she wanted to be there for him. Part of her wondered who was going to notice the distance more once she went back to her own quarters and gave him the space he would need to finish his recovery, and she had a sneaking suspicion it was a close call. It called into question many of the things she had been telling not only herself but everyone else for months on end, and those were questions and uncertainties that Kelly had not yet figured out the answers to.

She couldn't help but wonder if her relationship with Ed was something she might never figure out, at least not completely. But what did that mean? Where did that leave them? Was it a good thing or a bad thing that she couldn't answer those questions? As she glanced to her right to where Ed walked alongside of her, neither one of them back in their uniforms as of yet, she found herself wondering if these were things he asked himself as well. Did he have the answers?

Kelly already knew the answer to that question. Ed had made no secret of the fact that he still loved her. He wasn't nearly so reserved about expressing such a thing as she was. He was an awful lot braver than her in that regard.

Had she complicated things even further by staying with him in his quarters as long as she had?

That one Kelly knew the answer to as well, and it was a firm no. Their relationship was complicated enough that such a thing wouldn't have muddied the waters any more than they already were. And he had needed her. She would have been no more able to abandon him then than she would have been able to force her body to stop requiring oxygen. Ed had needed her and she had needed to be there for him. He would have been there for her if the situation had been reversed and there was absolutely no doubt about that in her mind.

If she had to do it all again, she would do so without hesitation. As much as she hoped nothing of the sort happened again, ever, she would do nothing differently, with the exception of finding him and getting him out of whatever terrible situation had befallen him sooner. A lot sooner.

Caro reached the shuttle first and slowed, turning, prompting her brother to do the same though Kelly noticed that he didn't turn all the way. He wasn't quite as timid as he had been upon his recovery from that planet where they had found him, but his recovery had been minimal, especially when compared to Ed's. The fact that he had made any improvements at all was a good sign, though, and Kelly hoped that that would continue as time went on. If he was even half as resilient and determined as his older sister, then she had no doubt that he would get there in the end.

"Saying thank you for all that you've done, for me and my brother," Caro said, shifting the bag on her shoulder a little, "it doesn't feel like enough." She gave them all a slightly awkward smile then as she shook her head. "I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come." At that she looked at them all in turn, her gaze ending up on Ed, where it lingered.

Kelly glanced his way and saw the same relief on his face. She knew that it plagued his mind as well, the fear of what would have happened if the Orville hadn't arrived when it had. If she was honest with herself she had had more than one bad dream surrounding that exact hypothetical herself, and they weren't the sorts of things she was keen to recall. She could only imagine how much worse they were for Ed, and for Caro as well. She had seen and heard the aftermath of those nightmares in Ed but she hadn't pressed him to share any details with her. If he wanted to tell her then she would listen and do what she could for him, but she wouldn't pressure him. Claire, on the other hand, had probably encouraged him to talk about them. Bottling things inside was never healthy, she said, and Kelly was inclined to agree.

That was a little hypocritical of her, though, she knew, given her constant struggle with her feelings for the man to her right.

"You don't need to thank us," she took it upon herself to say, looking between the two siblings but ultimately giving Caro more of her attention because Tommy's focus seemed to be drifting intermittently.

"We would have gotten everyone out of there if we could," Talla offered to Kelly's left, and she couldn't argue with her friend's remark. If the Admiralty had only given them clearance then they would have raided the D'Nari vessel and seen to it that all of the victims were released and taken to safety. But that wasn't what had happened, and it continued to leave a bitter taste on the back of her tongue.

A dialogue with the D'Nari would be opened officially, Halsey had assured her, but that was all that he had been able to promise her on the matter. It would be ongoing for some time, the Admiral suspected, and Kelly didn't doubt that that was the case, but whether or not they saw any real results on the issue was anyone's guess. Thinking about all the people still trapped on that ship, and in that system, was almost enough to turn her stomach. It was best not to linger on the thought for too long.

"I know," Caro said, turning her gaze to the Xelayan in the group and giving her a smile. Kelly noted the warmth and the understanding in the expression, along with the faintest touch of sorrow. She glanced to Talla herself and saw the slightest flicker of regret in her friend's features as well. The two women had only known one another a short length of time but they had bonded in the weeks that Caro had been aboard, and there was no denying that.

This parting was going to be painful for more people than she had originally thought.

"You'll keep in touch?" she asked then, lifting her brows inquiringly. She was asking for the sake of the man to her right, yes, but not just for Ed. It would be good for Caro as well, she knew, to be able to check in with those in the crew that she had grown close with. They could keep her updated on any progress they made as well, something Kelly, for one, was only too happy to do.

Caro smiled and nodded. "Definitely," she promised.

When Kelly glanced in Ed's direction she saw a similar smile forming on his face as well as he said, "Good." Just for a moment she was tempted to reach out across the short distance between them and take his hand in her own but she managed to resist the urge. Ed was being strong enough on his own. He didn't need her to hold him up right then. She was having to do that for him less and less as time went on and it was a promising sign, Kelly knew, but she couldn't deny that she missed the contact between them, and the reassurance that that close proximity brought not only to Ed but to her as well.

She was definitely making things more complicated, she decided in that instant.

Setting the bag down on the ground beside her feet Caro stepped forward then, and towards Talla, embracing the Xelayan fondly. The two women held one another like that for several moments and then Caro pulled back, giving Talla a nod of her head that the Orville's Security Chief returned in kind. When Caro stepped in front of her next she offered Kelly her hand, which she accepted with a smile. The shake was firm and simple enough but Kelly appreciated it for what it was, a show of respect and appreciation, one that she hoped the other woman felt in her own grip.

When Caro stepped in front of Ed she gave him a smile that was full of warmth and affection, as well as gratitude and relief. "I would tell you to stay out of trouble," she said to him, still smiling, "but something tells me that's not going to happen."

Kelly couldn't help but smile at that.

Ed chuckled and said, "Funny. That's exactly what I was going to say to you."

And then they embraced, not like two people who had only known one another for a number of weeks, but like people who had known one another for years. They embraced like two people who had been through hell and back together, and as Kelly watched them she once again felt the flood of relief that they had each had one another inside that terrible place. The fact that they hadn't been alone had gone a long way towards saving them in the end, she believed, and as she watched them then she felt that certainty reassert itself anew. As much as she wished she could have been the one by Ed's side during all that had happened, she was just beyond thankful that someone had been there for him.

The embrace went on for a while, almost a whole minute, before Caro stepped back. The two of them shared another smile and then Caro turned her eyes to Kelly. "Take care of him," she said, inclining her head softly in Ed's direction.

Kelly smiled at the other woman. "I will," she promised, easily and without hesitation, feeling more than seeing Ed's gaze turn in her direction. Taking care of Ed came as naturally to her as breathing and nothing had shown her that as clearly as these last few weeks when she had barely spent any time away from his side. It was something Kelly could see herself doing for the rest of her life without a single regret.

As Caro rejoined her brother she reached out and touched his arm lightly. When his eyes met hers she gave the slightest inclination of her head, gesturing to Kelly and the others. Tommy blinked and looked between them, almost as if he had forgotten that they were there at all. He looked at Ed first, standing silently for a couple of moments before he said, "Bye, Ed."

"It was nice to meet you, Tommy." Ed actually extended his hand then, but he did it steadily, not suddenly, so as not to catch the other man off guard. Tommy blinked again, hesitating as he looked down at the hand, and then he gingerly reached out with his own and accepted it. There was no real shake involved, Kelly noticed, instead Ed just gripped Tommy's hand in his own for a few moments as he said, "Look after your sister for me."

Tommy lifted his gaze at those words and actually met Ed's, holding it for several seconds before he said with surprising steadiness and certainty, "I will." The handshake, such as it was, ended then, and Ed gave the younger man a smile that Tommy was slow to return but Kelly thought the main thing was that he did.

He looked to Kelly then and, obviously not knowing what to say or do, he dipped his head in a small nod and said in an equally small voice, "Thank you."

Kelly couldn't tell Tommy that there was no need to thank her, not with his mind still needing to recover so much. So instead she gave him a smile and a similarly slight nod as she said, "You are so welcome."

And then Tommy landed his gaze on Talla. He was silent once again for a few moments before he moved, closing the distance between them, and then, without a word, he wrapped his arms around the Xelayan and held on to her. For just a second he reminded Kelly of a drowning man clinging to a ring or some other chance at life, and she caught Talla's gaze briefly, seeing in her friend's eyes just how surprised she was by the sudden initiation of such bold and full contact.

The moment passed then and Talla wrapped her arms around Tommy as well, letting the man drop his head to her shoulder and leave it there for a while. Kelly could see in Talla's face the uncertainty that washed through her, the conflicting emotions that were making the moment that much more difficult. She didn't know what else to do, or what to say. Kelly could understand that. Ever since coming aboard Tommy had thought she was someone else and it made perfect sense that Talla was at a loss.

But when Tommy pulled back at last, albeit somewhat reluctantly, he lifted his eyes to the Xelayan's and said with no small amount of sadness, "Bye, Talla."

Just for a second, the briefest of moments, Talla looked as though someone had slapped her. The surprise was there and then gone, only really registerable to those who knew her as well as Kelly did. A smile slipped into place easily then and she said, "Goodbye, Tommy." She set her hand on his arm, rubbing her thumb up and down a few times as she went on, "Take care of yourself." As she withdrew her hand she added, "And keep in touch, okay?"

Tommy smiled at her and nodded his head. "Okay." His promise was as simple as that and then he stepped back to join his sister once again, who touched her hand to his back and gave him an encouraging smile as he did so.

"Well," Caro said with a sigh, before she reached down to reclaim the bag she had set on the floor, "I guess this is it."

And with that, after looking the group over one last time, her gaze lingering longest on Ed, Caro turned and strode to the waiting shuttle with her brother in tow. Kelly noticed that the woman didn't let herself look back again, a decision she could hardly blame the other woman for given how difficult the parting had been. The Armstrong pilot gave them all a nod and then made her way back inside the shuttle as well, and as they watched the rear hatch started to rise. They watched it until it had closed its passengers off from view, lingering in place until the shuttle had lifted off from the deck and flown through the open doors on its way to the other Union vessel.

When it was gone from sight Talla dropped her head for a moment, Kelly suspected to hide the shine of tears that had sprung to the surface after that unexpected farewell. It only took the Xelayan a moment to compose herself before she lifted her head and said, "I'd better get back to the bridge." She gave them a momentary smile and then excused herself, leaving the two of them standing in place on the deck.

Kelly turned her head to study Ed's face in profile and she wasn't surprised to see that he had a faint smile in place. She couldn't help but smile as well at the sight of it. Not so very long ago it had been all but impossible to imagine him showing anything of the sort. Kelly was beyond relieved that that time seemed to be well and truly behind them.

Before she could say anything at all, Ed spoke first. "She'll be fine." He turned his head then and met her gaze. "They both will."

Kelly nodded her head, her smile growing. "Yes they will," she agreed. And then she gave in to that urge at last, reaching out across the small distance between them so that she could take Ed's hand in her own, giving it a small squeeze. Ed returned it in kind as he nodded back at her.

They would be fine.

It had been almost two months.

To some that might have seemed like too fast a turnaround given what had happened, what he had been through, and the condition he had been in upon his return to the Orville. But to Ed it was nothing of the sort. It wasn't too fast because it wasn't done yet. Nothing was finished or complete or fully healed. It was more a matter of enough.

He was healed enough.

There was still a long way to go, he believed, because wounds that deep didn't close up over a matter of weeks. The scars they had left were still fairly raw and it would take a while yet before they had faded enough that they didn't shadow his steps everywhere he went. But he had pulled together the tattered edges of his sense of self and worth and done a fairly good job of repairing them. He could function normally enough now and after several tests to ensure his readiness the declaration had been made. The choice had been his after that.

Ed had made that choice. All things told, it had been an easy one.

One last time before leaving the room he looked down at the doll positioned neatly underneath the lamp on his desk, remembering when he had told Bortus what felt like a long time ago now why he admired the character so words replayed in his mind of their own accord and Ed smiled, nodding his head slowly. After drawing in a deep breath he said to the doll as he exhaled, "Wish me luck." There was no response, obviously, but he didn't really need one.

Ed strode out of the office then, and crossed the short distance to the bridge. He stepped through the open doors and slowed to a halt at the rear of the space, looking out over the whole of the room and all the people in it. It didn't take him long to notice that they were all looking back at him as well, just as it took him no time at all to recognise the fact that they were all smiling at him.

Any doubts or uncertainties he might have had before crossing that threshold dissolved in that moment.

As he looked around the bridge he reminded himself that he had a lot of debts to repay. Every single one of the people present had gone well above and beyond the call of duty to find him. They had put their lives on the line, they had risked everything to help him, and he could never thank them enough.

Talla and Bortus, who had literally fought for him. Claire, who had helped him to fight the demons plaguing his mind and his memory. Gordon, who had reached out to an enemy in order to help a friend. John and Isaac, who had pieced together the puzzles that had come up at every turn. And Kelly, who had saved his mind and his life by pulling him back from the ledge of a black abyss, time and time again. Kelly, who had always been better at solving his problems than he was.

She had risen from her seat at his arrival and as he strode down to join her she gave him a smile that was just for him. It showed her relief and her gratitude and just how much she cared. When Ed smiled back he hoped she could see in his expression just how lucky he believed he was to have her in his life.

They hadn't talked about that kiss. But Ed could see in Kelly's eyes whenever he looked at her that it hadn't been forgotten.

He didn't know what that meant. Not yet, at least. But there was time to figure it out. And it was thanks to everyone on this bridge, everyone on this entire ship, that he had that time.

Together they took their seats and once again Ed turned his head to meet Kelly's eye. When she looked back his way he said to her in a low voice, hushed to the point of being a whisper, "Real."

Kelly's smile was immediate, and the nod she gave him was pleased and encouraging and satisfied. She had known he would get there. Ed knew she had believed it all along, and that that belief had gone a long way towards getting him to this moment.

Turning his head forward again and drawing in another breath, steady and certain and resolute, Ed summoned his voice and said, "Lieutenant Malloy."

Gordon's response was immediate and energetic. "Aye, Captain."

And in that moment it felt like everything that had been scattered and disjointed fell back into perfect place. Everything felt right and true and real.

Ed smiled and settled back in his chair.

"Set course and engage quantum drive."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As sad as I am to finish this one, the time has finally come and now hopefully you'll all indulge me in a bit of a ramble :'D Writing this fic has been an incredible journey from start to finish, and even though it had its challenges (self-imposed, honestly) it was an absolute joy to overcome them at every turn and figure out where I was going and how I would get there. The feedback for this piece has been incredible and I truly cannot thank everyone enough, because you all make it worthwhile to put so much time and effort into something like this. Seriously, you're all incredible and so generous and lovely, and at the risk of getting overly sentimental you've given me something creative that I cherish more than any of you can understand - I'm not sure what I would do with myself without this incredible little outlet, and I treasure each and every one of you for encouraging (and enabling!) me to carry on And okay, that's the emotional stuff out of the way.

For anyone who's curious to know, there is more to this story, and I do intend to revisit it, in the hopefully-not-too-distant future! I decided at some point that there needed to be a sequel to this piece, and I've already started to make notes about the outline etc, so fingers crossed that keeps coming along! At the risk of all of you kicking me to pieces via text, I actually finished this fic back in September, if you can believe that, but I took my time with posting it because I wanted to be able to revisit and polish it at a steady pace. Hopefully you can all forgive me for/understand that! As for inspirations etc, I drew from a lot of places, some of which are as follows: Inception, The Matrix, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (I'd love to know if anyone can pick that one out), Back to the Future III (same goes for this one!), and Love, Death + Robots, as well as a smattering of other things.

Thank you all once again for being so generous and vocal over the course of this fic, and I will definitely be sticking around in this fandom for the foreseeable future! Hopefully you all like my future works at least a fraction as much as you seemed to enjoy this one :D You really did all make it an absolute blast.