Welcome back! Now that the war is over, Daniel will be looked to for at least some guidance on what the post-war world should look like. The eyes of the world will be on him, but what does he have in mind for his own future? Enjoy the latest installment!
Over the next few weeks, the 501st and 502nd remained in Berlin, continuing to help the city's denizens rebuild their homes and their lives. For Daniel, it was definitely hard work, but it was also a very rewarding experience. Seeing the looks of gratitude on the faces of all of those civilians – the children especially – was enough for him to keep going with the hard work. As Daniel and the witches continued to help with the recovery efforts, they got word that civilians would soon be returning to other cities in eastern Europe that had to be evacuated due to the Neuroi invasion.
Daniel and Sasha were discussing making a return trip to St. Petersburg so that she could be reunited with her family – and so he could meet them – when Daniel received a telegram from allied command. Minna handed him the message, and as he read it, its contents both humbled him and gave him an anxiety attack. "What does it say?" Sasha asked. After processing exactly what it said, Daniel responded, "It's from the President of the United States – he will be in Amsterdam and wants me there in three days. He's going to present me with the Medal of Honor!"
Sasha and the other witches in the room had their jaws dropped at this. "That's the highest honor you can get!" Shirley exclaimed. "I know," replied Daniel, "Why do you think I'm so stunned." Minna then put her hand on his shoulder and said, "You deserve it. Your actions in Vienna make you more than qualified to receive such an honor." Trude then added, "Not bad for someone who never wanted to be in the military in the first place." They all chuckled at that, as Daniel looked back down at the telegram, and noticed something. "Oh – it gets better! You've all been invited to attend the ceremony, and there will be a formal gathering that evening to celebrate the end of the war!"
The witches were excited about this – having the opportunity to celebrate their comrade's honor with him and also being able to enjoy a good party on top of that! They were informed that they would be transported to Amsterdam the next day so that they would have the opportunity to be outfitted with the proper attire for the celebration (they would be wearing their regular military outfits for the award ceremony). As they were packing for their departure, Daniel saw a small object in the corner of one of his drawers and suddenly remembered what it was, having briefly forgotten about it in the stress and chaos of finally defeating the Neuroi for good. He then smiled and put it in his pocket, thinking that the party would be the perfect time to bring it out.
Three days later, as a morning breeze blew through the area, Daniel and the witches were standing in front of allied continental headquarters as they awaited the president's arrival. Minutes later, they saw a black luxury car pull up to the building, and after a little bit of doing, out of the car in his signature wheelchair came the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Although he could see him, Daniel couldn't quite believe his eyes. Here was one of the most important figures in his country's entire history in person not more than six feet away from him! He was starstruck - partially because of his historical significance, but also because by this point in time in his world, Roosevelt had already died in office. 'He must have a couple of healer witches taking care of him in this world,' he thought to himself.
Daniel was also naturally quite nervous as he walked up to the president to introduce himself. President Roosevelt saw him approaching, held out his hand, and said, "You must be Major Horowitz, am I right?" Daniel took his hand and shook it as he replied, "Yes, Mr. President." They continued to shake hands as President Roosevelt continued, "A real, live Jedi knight, eh? How extraordinary! I must say, you did a hell of a job with those Neuroi in Vienna." Daniel smiled nervously as he said simply, "Thank you, sir. And may I say, it's an honor to meet you, sir."
The press took photos of this exchange, and soon everything was ready for the formal ceremony to begin. General Eisenhower began things by providing a formal introduction for President Roosevelt, who rolled up to the podium, stood up from his wheelchair, and began to speak to the crowd present. He spoke about how the war had been won through the efforts of everyone involved, about the sacrifices made by military personnel and civilians alike, and how those on the front lines, like Daniel and the witches, had exhibited extraordinary courage and fortitude in the face of tremendous odds.
President Roosevelt then indicated for his attendant, who was carrying a lacquered box, to come up to the podium beside him. He then indicated for Daniel to do the same, only on his other side. Once everyone was in place, he took the box, opened it, and began to speak again. "Major Daniel Horowitz – for exhibiting immense courage and ingenuity in the face of extreme danger, for extraordinary heroism, and for going above and beyond the call of duty, I hereby present you with our country's highest military award – the Medal of Honor." President Roosevelt then took the medal out of the box and tied it around Daniel's neck as the witches and the audience looked on and cheered. Daniel then turned to the president and saluted before the president offered him the chance to speak.
"Thank you very much, Mr. President," Daniel began. "My comrades, and fellow citizens of the world, I am both honored and humbled to receive this award here today." Daniel then held the medal up in his hand for everyone to see as he continued, "However, this award does not belong to me alone. It also belongs to the thousands of soldiers who fought in this war to free all of humanity from the Neuroi invasion." He then turned to the members of the 501st and 502nd as he said, "In particular, this award belongs to the witches standing with me here today and elsewhere. They opened up their arms to me in welcome when I had nowhere to go. They gave me a home and a purpose in this world. But most of all, they have been fighting on the front lines for years, sacrificing so much of themselves in the process, while not receiving nearly the amount of recognition they truly deserve. It is I who should be saluting you!" He then proceeded to salute his comrades from the podium. In a bit of a surprise, the president and other military officers present followed suit in saluting the witches for everything they had done before applauding Daniel's speech.
Once the cheering had died down, Daniel once again shook President Roosevelt's hand and proceeded to walk off the podium towards his waiting comrades. Sasha was out in front of everyone else and embraced him, which the press took notice of. As they were taking pictures, Daniel thought, 'Ah, what the hell!' and proceeded to pull Sasha into a deep and unmistakably romantic kiss. Sasha was initially surprised by Daniel's boldness, but soon wrapped her arms around his head as she deepened the kiss, with hoots and cheers being heard all around. When they finally parted, Daniel was approached by an officer who told him that the president had requested a meeting with him and other important personnel after lunch. Daniel nodded in acknowledgement as he and Sasha gathered with their comrades elsewhere.
That afternoon, Daniel was led inside the allied HQ building to the large conference room, where he was told that the president was waiting for him. When he entered the room, not only were President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower there, but also Britannian Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Montgomery, General Patton, and several other high-level diplomats and military leaders from the world's major powers. President Roosevelt motioned for him to take a seat as he began to explain why he had called for this meeting.
"Major Horowitz," the president began, "We all recognize everything that you have been through since you arrived in this world more than two years ago and everything that you have contributed towards helping us win the war." He then continued, "However, we also recognize that you have knowledge and experience that would be extraordinarily useful in navigating us in this post-war world, and we feel that we would be remiss if we didn't at least try to use that knowledge to build our future."
President Roosevelt then looked at him intently as he got to the heart of the matter. "If you would, please avail us of the knowledge of the future from your world so that we can build a better future for ourselves." Daniel was speechless – here were many of the leaders of the free world asking HIM for advice on the future of world affairs. While Daniel was wary of telling them everything, he decided that it was probably best of he could give them at least some of the important aspects of future events from his world so that they could possibly avoid the many problems his world was facing in the early 21st century.
Daniel then proceeded to give the people in the room an overview of historical events from the end of World War II to the point where he had been pulled into this world. Everyone there listened intently as he described the things that he thought had been good for the world, and those things that he thought had caused problems and unintended consequences later on. When he finished, he then decided to give a proposal to them. "I think you all have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity to do something truly great here," he began. "Unlike in my world, you have proven that you are capable of all working together to achieve goals for the greater good of the world. The next step is to take that spirit of cooperation, and apply it to peacetime endeavors."
He then described the United Nations from his world – how it was generally a very good thing in preventing major wars and promoting peace, but also about how it really lacked the power to do much else. Prime Minister Churchill then asked, "Are you suggesting that we all give up our individual autonomies for some sort of world government?" Daniel shook his head as he responded, "Oh, no – nothing quite so grandiose. I realize that even with everything that you have done in the last several years, the world isn't ready to invest itself in a fully united world government." He then gathered himself and continued. "What I do propose is that the nations of the world agree to a set of rules on a few specific issues that significantly affect people all around the globe. For that, we can set up a council of sorts, with representatives from every nation, as well as a system of courts set up to decide cases on these issues alone. If we can agree to a treaty framework along those lines, then it would be an extraordinary step in humanity's journey towards reaching its full potential."
At this, Daniel heard murmurs from just about everyone in the room, as they considered what he had just proposed. After talking amongst themselves for a number of minutes, President Roosevelt addressed Daniel directly. "Your proposal is a very interesting one, and is definitely worthy of serious consideration," he stated. "However, this is going to require a great deal of discussion with all of the major players from around the world." The president then sighed as he continued, "If you would be willing to preside, we would agree to a conference with the highest levels of representatives gathered from all around the world to discuss and potentially draft a treaty like you have described." Daniel immediately agreed to this, sensing the opportunity to help humanity towards the better path forward in this world.
As the meeting adjourned, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill took him aside to provide a couple of the details, explaining that the conference would most likely be held in London, due mostly to its relatively central location, as well as the city's good condition in general. They also said that the conference was likely to be sometime in the fall, as they had to get word to the leaders of the various other countries and provide enough time for all the personnel to prepare for such a conference. Daniel nodded in understanding and stated that he would be ready to come when the conference was ready to go.
That evening at the celebration party, Daniel discussed the meeting with his comrades. They were surprised that he had been called to meet them for such a purpose, let alone the fact that Daniel had agreed to such an extraordinary undertaking. As he then engaged in small talk with the other witches, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Sasha looked in her ocean blue dress, which matched her eyes, with cloth straps crisscrossing her neckline, going behind her back. Daniel himself was wearing a navy blue suit with pinstripes, and a red tie. He then felt inside his pocket, making sure the small object was there and thought, 'Now is the time.' He then walked up to Sasha and asked to take her aside for some alone time so they could enjoy each other's presence for a few minutes in peace.
Daniel then led Sasha out to a balcony overlooking the property's gardens. He smiled as he saw that the sky was clear and there was a full moon out that night. 'Perfect,' he thought. While she was curious as to why Daniel had brought her out there, Sasha started the conversation by commenting and teasing on how bold he had been with her at the ceremony that morning. "Not that I'm really complaining, but that was very unlike you to do something like that in public – and in front of the press, no less!" Daniel smiled and teased back, "Well, then, maybe you should make me kneel as punishment." Sasha's confusion only heightened at this. 'Is he actually ASKING for me to punish him?' she thought to herself. She decided to play along for the moment and replied, "Alright then. Get on your knees! This is your punishment for being so brazen with me in public!" He then chuckled and said in a teasing manner, "Yes, ma'am!"
When he got on his knees, Daniel then reached into his coat pocket and took out a small box. "Daniel, what's that you have there?" Sasha asked before she softly gasped and put her hands in front of her mouth, as she realized exactly what Daniel was about to do. Daniel then opened the box to reveal a yellow gold ring with a fairly large, but tasteful, deep blue sapphire in the middle surrounded by tiny diamonds, making the sapphire stand out even more.
Daniel then took a deep breath and began his proposal. "Sasha, you are by far the best thing that has happened to me, not only since I got here, but in my entire life. I love you with all my heart, and I can't imagine living my life without you in it. If you will continue to have me, I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life by your side. Sasha, will you…?" Daniel was then cut off as Sasha tackled him to the ground and proceeded to kiss every inch of his face. Daniel chuckled as he asked, "I take it this is a 'yes'?" Sasha smiled as she laughed and replied, "It's definitely a 'yes'! Of course I'll marry you!"
They then stood back up before Daniel placed the ring on Sasha's ring finger. As she admired it, Sasha exclaimed, "It's gorgeous! Thank you!" Daniel replied, "Not as gorgeous as you are." They then proceeded to kiss each other under the moonlight. "By the way," Daniel added, "Remember the last part of my conversation with Ben?" Sasha looked up at him and replied, "Oh, yeah. What did you say to him?" Daniel smiled and answered, "I told him to make particularly sure that my parents saw the picture of the two of us – and to tell them that it was a picture of their daughter-in-law." Sasha smiled back and replied teasingly, "Ooooh, someone was awfully confident." Daniel shrugged as he responded, "Well, I wasn't wrong, was I?" They chuckled and leaned into each other for another kiss.
After a few more minutes in each other's embrace, enjoying each other's presence by themselves, they headed back inside to join the rest of their friends. When they arrived back in the main room, several of the witches approached them and asked where they had been. Sasha simply smiled and showed them her hand where the ring had been placed. The witches around them then screeched in delight, as other in the room wondered what was going on. Soon enough, everyone knew what was going on, and there was now an additional item to celebrate – Daniel and Sasha's engagement!
Looks like Daniel got himself the future he wanted! And with the upcoming conference, he's going to be influential in world affairs for quite some time. Not bad for a guy who dropped into the world almost literally out of nowhere! The next chapter is going to be the last one, so be on the lookout for it! Until then…