Sunrise over the tango factory's A/N: End of and era…yes…this is the final chapter…and I'd like to say I had a great time writing this…I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did! Big thanks to all you reviewers, and HUGE thanks and huggles to Liz (raging tree trunk) because she's been a huge help, and she even wrote a little something for this chapter (little being understated): Elizabeth's letter…all will become clear!
P.s tell me what you think of the ending…Sunrise.
Elizabeth traced her fingers across the glass of the photo frame; the people in the picture smiled back at her.
She and Arnold looked so happy, smiling and laughing for the camera, she'd been so happy, but then when Starbug had disappeared from sight...it all become clear that she was never likely to see the man who see loved dearly ever again.
She carried the photo frame over to the windows, torrential rain thundered off its glass, as if the weather was reflecting her mood.
Elizabeth gazed miserably at the dark skies, and wondered where and Arnold was or what he was doing...well she could probably guess, he'd be on Starbug either: annoying Lister, being annoyed by Lister or sleeping. She found herself staring up into the swirling mass of clouds, half expecting to see Starbug flying low over the trees coming into land.
She felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Come on Elizabeth" she scolded herself "get a grip…" She'd spent the whole of her life dreaming of what was never to be, she wasn't going to spend the rest of her life pining for something she couldn't have.
If it hadn't been for Arnold's plan, she would have doubted if she could have carried on, loosing your true love twice in one lifetime would no doubt finish you off.
At first she was sceptical about his plan, one minute they were talking about jobs, weather, normal topics of discussion then he came right out with it 'Can you have my babies?' he remembered staring at his face wondering 'this must be a joke, we've only really been going out for 3 days...'
Arnold then began to panic; he became flustered, knocking things over talking unnaturally fast, mumbling and twitching.
"Please Elizabeth" he begged, "I know this is perhaps most perverted thing ever to be said to a women...with the possible exception of 'what colour knickers are you wearing' but please, you said you wanted kids with me... and I want kids with you...no not want...I NEED kids with you...please..."
"Arnold" said Elizabeth flapping her hands for him to lower his voice "please calm down"
Rimmer nodded and took several deep breathes "I know it's a weird proposition, and a strange way of symbolising our love...most normal couples just lay some decking in the back garden...but lets face it...we're hardly a normal couple are we?'
It was then that it all began to make sense to Elizabeth, she and Arnold didn't need to spend their lives together to prove their love, it would be nice if everything was normal and they could get married have children and grow old together, but as Elizabeth had already said 'as long as we love each other, then that's all we need to know...'
"Arnold" she smiled "I think it's a wonderful idea"
Rimmer looked like all his dreams had come true "you do?" he whispered
"Yes" Elizabeth, laughing at the obvious joy she had caused.
Rimmer beamed and pulled Elizabeth into a kiss, a hug and a dance all at once, he then suddenly stopped "please, explain the situation to the kid properly, I don't want him or her going through their teens knowing me only as the guy who knocked up their mum and then did a runner"
Elizabeth smiled "I shall tell them everything I know about Arnold J. Rimmer, the man who made my heaven on earth..."
Rimmer lay on his bunk, with his eyes closed tightly, he wanted to block out the world…block out the pain.
The music helped...kind of...it made him even more depressed (if that was possible). He'd spend nearly all of his day locked in his quarters refusing to speak to anyone. Lister, Cat and Kryten did everything they could think of to try and cheer him up...but nothing worked.
Rimmer didn't know where to put himself, the pain of losing Elizabeth again was that bad, he just sat on his bunk and cried.
"Rimmer man" came Lister's voice from behind the locked door "open up!"
"No" said Rimmer defiantly, turning his back on the door
"I just wanna talk...you need to do somethin' man...just please...I wanna help..." Rimmer grudgingly opened the door, and allowed Lister to enter. Once in the room
Lister suddenly felt very awkward, then an all to familiar sound entered his ear, and he groaned
"Rimmer…not this song again, I swear to God if here it one more time, I'll drown meself in the sink!"
Rimmer had taken to listening to the Lilly B. Hive cover version of 'Nothing compares 2 U'
She won an award for 'best newcomer with most depressing voice' and still is the most popular record for making people try to kill themselves.
It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't played it continuously, Lister now felt he knew every beat, note, riff and violin instrumental in the song, and to hear it one more time would surely send him on a killing spree.
"It helps me think…" said Rimmer
"Oh yeah" laughed Lister "helps you think about how crappy your life is...OFF!" he yelled, thankfully halting Lilly B. mid sentence. Lister then stared at Rimmer "Now, sit down and talk..."
"What about?" asked Rimmer confused,
"Anythin'" cried Lister, grabbing a can out of the fridge "I don't give a smeg, just...get somethin' off your chest"
Rimmer nodded "o-k-a-y" taking full advantage of Lister actually listening to him for once "it's just suddenly hit me that...I'll never see Elizabeth again..." he groaned and buried his head in his hands "I can't stop thinking about her, i'm always wondering what's she doing, where is she, is she thinking about me...it's like she's part of me..."
"You're getting off lightly" shrugged Lister,
"What?" said Rimmer, his face screwing up in bewilderment "why?"
Lister bit his lip, wondering whether he should share this with Rimmer
"Well...you never got to know her really well, and when you loose someone you know so much about...you don't have thoughts any more...you notice things they liked...favourite colour...favourite food...you're constantly linking places, sights, sounds, people, situations with the person you're in love with, they rule your life Rimmer...you're gettin' off lightly!"
The hologram remained silent for several minutes, just sitting on his bunk, fingers pressed to his lips in thought.
"You're right, Lister" he said finally "all great relationships need to end sometime…Romeo and Juliet…Jack and Rose…Kermit and Miss Piggy"
Lister looked up "Kermit and Miss Piggy split up!?!" he sounded shocked and disappointed.
Rimmer nodded, smirking slightly at Lister's childishness,
"Why?" asked Lister, "They always looked so happy"
"Mixed species marriages, Lister," sighed Rimmer "they never work…I mean imagine what there kids would look like!"
Lister nodded his head, still reeling from the surprise split of Hollywood's favourite puppets "oh that reminds me" he said "how are you gonna find out of you've got a kid or not?"
Rimmer groaned, he'd forgotten all about that "well, it's a little bit complicated, I told Elizabeth to send me a letter but address it to this Starbug, and on the envelope ask it to be put behind the large pipe in the boiler room and left there, which means supposedly it should be there now…"
"Then why haven't you gone and got it then?" questioned Lister, knowing it would be the first thing he'd do if he were in Rimmer's situation.
"I forgot!"
"You forgot!" repeated Lister.
"Yes" replied Rimmer, frowning back at him.
"Sorry, let just translate that for you ' I've forgotten I've got a kid out there with half of my genes'" Lister paused "d'you want me to go get it for you?" he asked.
"Yes" nodded Rimmer, so Lister made to walk off, "no, yes…no…YES!"
"Will you make up your mind" snapped Lister,
"I can't!" moaned Rimmer pathetically
"Look" said Lister impatiently "d'you want me to go and find the letter or not?"
"No." said Rimmer; just glad he'd finally made up his mind.
"Tough" said Lister "I'm getting it any way…" And he ran towards the boiler room.
Rimmer sat there and waited and panicked… what if his plan hadn't worked, what if he'd led Elizabeth to false hopes, what if she'd died alone, childless and cursing his name.
Lister arrived a moment later; in his hands was an envelope covered in dust, but seemingly untouched letter.
"You found it then?" said Rimmer, in an almost inaudible whisper.
"Yeah" nodded Lister, for some reason he was really anxious, it was like getting his exam results all over again, only this time he didn't know he was going to fail…what was in that envelope was anyone's guess.
"Can you open it?" asked Rimmer, shaking with fear.
"What!" cried Lister "no way man, it's your letter!"
"Please" begged Rimmer,
Lister sighed and tore open the letter "read it out?" he asked, looking up at Rimmer, who nodded mutely.
"Dearest Arnold" Lister glanced at Rimmer "-well that's good innit man- she said 'dearest' that's gotta be- ya know, positive"
Rimmer, stared anxiously at Lister, "Just read the letter. Read it. Read it! READ IT!"
Lister was about to snap at Rimmer for being a pushy smeghead but noticed that his fingers were tightly wrapped round a newspaper, which had gone limp from the pressure, which was so great Rimmer's knuckles had gone white.
So instead Lister simply nodded.
"Dearest Arnold" he repeated, "If you're reading this –or having it read too you, as I guess you'll be too nervous to do it yourself- that means that your safe and well- I was going to say alive and well then! Oh dear me, what a situation, it has been a rather strange year for me anyway."
Lister looked over to Rimmer who had relaxed a bit,
"-She knows you well man" he added before continuing, "After you left, I went to see my Doctor, who told me not to get my hopes up as most people have to have several rounds of IVF to get pregnant and I only had one obviously.
He got out his high tech scanner and all that jelly stuff, and for a moment I wished you were there with me- holding my hand- smiling, going through all the motions with me, and I nearly cried when I thought about it, I felt abandoned for a moment- then I realised how selfish I was being. I have a good job, a nice house; and unlike so many people. I've found my soul mate- my one true love, and although he couldn't be with me. He- you wanted to be, and that's more precious than anything I could ever buy or ever wish for.
Anyway, the Doctor gave me a scan- there was nothing."
Rimmer felt his heart drop, but Lister continued,
"Then like music, a small thumping came across the speakers. Then another, and another. Heartbeats.
The doctor scanned further down my stomach and there they were.
Triplets; can you believe it Arnold?! Triplets!
He printed me a picture and I left. I was in a complete daze, TRIPLETS! The next thing I did was go straight to my boss and tell him. He nearly had a heart attack, he'd had me down as 'independent woman' which suited him fine, as I'd never settle down and have kids meaning he'd get work out of me and not have to pay me for maternity leave, he kept cursing, and when he learnt there was no 'father' on the scene he nearly exploded with anger- bless him, he's my Godfather and after my Dad died he took me under his wing. I told my Mum next. I thought she'd rave at me for being unmarried, etc. but she just said, "You've had sex?" and then, "ohh thank god I never thought I'd be a Grandmother" in fact she said she was glad there was no man there because it meant things wouldn't really change and she asked me to move in with her, which I did.
So 7 months later, I was out on the nursery balcony. We'd just finished decorating- you should see it Arnold, its beautiful, pastel greens and blues and yellows. Three cribs, toys from the 20th century- amazing really where I managed to get all those antiques I do not know! Anyway, I was on the balcony, looking at the stars and I smiled as I knew you were out there somewhere, and maybe 1 day you'd be back, for a moment I wished I'd gone with you, but I realised why we couldn't. You explained it to me, remember, about our parrarell universes and how you shouldn't have intervened in the first place as you could have caused the destruction of the cosmos –I'm glad you did though. Anyway, as I was stood on the balcony I felt these terrible pains and I knew Arnold- it was time.
My mother drove me to the hospital and 7 hours later I had our beautiful babies. The doctor thought it amazing I had a natural birth.
Fearne, Lia and little Jack. Jack had such a struggle for survival being the smallest and youngest of the 3, but see him now Arnold!
He's the biggest of the 3 and extremely mischievous and playful. He going to be a little heartbreaker one day Arn he looks so much like you! -Although, he gets a little shy around other children sometimes but Fearne looks after him.
She was the biggest at birth but now the smallest and sweetest child. I know I'm biased as her mother but one day we were in a shop and she said, "Mummy, look at that lady" pointing at one of the natives of the planet, I was highly embarrassed- everyone looked and she just pointed and then she said the most adorable thing, "Isn't she beautiful Mummy." The woman had obviously been listening and had ignored what she thought was an insult but she smiled at Fearne when she said that and Fearne was right. She was beautiful. I smiled and just said, "You know small children are always truthful, right" and that was it.
Lia is the most intelligent of the 3, learning to walk, talk and can even read before the other 2. She's very quiet and always making up stories in her head with her dolls, or illustrating with her crayons and notebook. She asked about you the other day, "all the other children at kindergarten have Daddies." She said.
"So do you. He loves you very much, and things of you everyday. He made Mummy the happiest woman alive, and blessed me with you 3 darlings."
She smiled- "I know he has Mummy. I know he has."
So there you have it Arnold. Your plan worked. I've enclosed a picture, but I really must go now and have the letter put into status to be posted on Starbug in the future- well your time in your universe, our future. Oh and look out for more letters. From the children- myself, every so often we may be able to post more. We'll always be with you.
Love always and forever, Fearne, Lia, Jack; and your Elizabeth."
"Wow" breathed Lister "you've got triplets, Rimmer…Rimmer?" he turned round to see Rimmer lying in a dead faint on the floor.
"You've fainted" muttered Lister "there's a shock!" he said sarcastically.
He then noticed the photograph stuck the letter, which he gently pulled it off. It was the perfect family photo; Elizabeth was beaming for the camera, her arms wrapped around her precious children.
A groan from the floor indicated Rimmer had woken up.
"You okay?" asked Lister,
"The letter" said Rimmer, he was speaking far too quickly even for him "give me the letter" Lister handed him the picture and the letter which Rimmer quickly skim read.
"There's got to be a mistake," he stammered once he'd reached the end "triplets…I can't make triplets…I…oh god Lister help me…" he glanced up at Lister awaiting his assistance, only to receive a shrug.
"Have you seen the photo yet?" asked Lister,
"No, I'm too busy worrying about how the hell I made triplets!" screamed Rimmer hysterically.
Lister carried on regardless "Jacks' the spitting image of you…" he grinned, picking up the photo that Rimmer had dropped in his panic and disbelief.
Rimmer grudgingly took the photo off him and allowed his eyes to wander across it, his face softened, he gazed at the triplets, scarcely able to believe he'd contributed towards making them…it was magical.
"Somethin' wrong" asked Lister, as Rimmer had gone quite which was never a good sign.
"No" sighed Rimmer, eyes locked onto the photograph "everything's perfect now!"
END