Elizabeth couldn't remember the last time she had awoken so disoriented. Her arm hurt and her head was pounding, and upon attempting to search her memory for the cause of her situation she found that to be quite fuzzy as well. It was a few moments before she managed to crack open her eyes just a bit, where she saw that she was laying on her side with her arm pinned beneath her. That would explain the arm, at least, but not the head or memory. No explanation yet as to the bright burst of light behind her eyelids and seemingly all around her. Had she fallen asleep on the floor of her tower library again? Was she even in her tower? Perhaps she was outside—that would explain the light. Maybe Songbird had moved her somewhere while she was—
A rush of memories came back to her as she sat up, clutching her head as scenes flashed in her mind. Colombia, Booker, Comstock, Rapture, Atlas, everything came rushing back to her. When she came back to her senses, her mind a little clearer now, she opened her eyes and found that she was in the TARDIS, alone—or so she thought. A soft groan caught her attention, and she turned to see someone lying on the ground across from her. Said person was around her age, had light brown skin, black curly hair and wore a grey hoodie under a black jacket, a red t-shirt, jeans, white converse sneakers and had a peculiar red gauntlet on his wrist.
Approaching cautiously, she saw that blood was leaking from the corner of his head. Elizabeth frantically began looking for a first aid kit or something she could use as a makeshift bandage before patting down her pockets. She reached inside to pull out a mini first aid kit, opening it up and getting to work on mending the wound. Just as she finished bandaging it, she looked the man over carefully before remembering who he was: Dante Price.
"Dante?" she whispered, eyeing the unconscious man. "Are you awake?"
He stirred, muttering some gibberish and a language she didn't understand before his eyes fluttered open. "Wha-? Who are you? Where's the Doctor and," he gingerly touched the side of his head before hissing in pain. "Did you do this?"
"If you mean bandaged your head, yes. You must've banged it up against the console."
"That would've been a lousy way to go," Dante muttered as he picked himself up off the floor, going over to a nearby trunk and digging out a shaving mirror. "Gotta say, you're not half bad as a medic."
"Thank you." She tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear, and while Dante fixed himself up, she took the liberty of surveying the inside of the TARDIS. Nothing instantly popped out at her as seeming unusual or out of place-everything, at least at first glance, seemed to be in prime shape, and nothing was out of the ordinary, at least at first glance. The console didn't seem to be in disrepair, and neither she nor Dante were really worse for wear aside from his head injury, but she didn't expect that it was that serious.
"You never did tell me how you got in here."
Elizabeth turned back to Dante who, while on the other side of the console making adjustments, was giving her an odd look.
"What do you mean? I've been here for sometime now."
"No," and he shook his head, the look of confusion deepening the longer he stared at her. There wasn't anything inherently unfriendly in that gaze, and yet Elizabeth felt a chill run down her spine at the calculated coldness of it. "Ma'am, last I checked, it was just me and the Doctor. Last time a lady was onboard was when River dragged us on an expedition of hers."
Elizabeth stared back, not knowing what else to say or what to do—surely this must be some kind of joke? There was no way he'd forgotten her, he couldn't have, and yet—the look he was giving her now as he waited for a response was very telling.
"Either way, I'll have to erase your memory and drop you off to your respective time and place." He began flicking switches and buttons as his brow furrowed and he began muttering silently to himself. "Sorry, I know that's probably a bit jarring to hear, but it's for the best. I know you probably have a lot of questions, maybe even some that I wouldn't be able to answer. But honestly, there's no point in answering them, seeing as you'd forget both the answers and your initial questions anyway. Now, where are you from?" He didn't wait for an answer before walking over to the still stunned brunette and examining her closely. "Hmmm…lovely haircut, but too short for anything more vintage than, let's say, the 80's, and I'm being generous at that. Professionally done, so salons exist, very telling. Your clothes...yeah, you're definitely more of a modern woman. Those clothes...wow, a little too modern. You're definitely from my era, then. Say, do you know what an Xbox is?"
Elizabeth was caught off guard by the question and answered honestly. "I...no, I don't?"
"Fair enough. So, what year?"
"I don't know."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "That's concerning. Most people know what year they're from or at least their birthdays."
"Not me. I don't—I don't know anything, my birthday or the date or what year I'm from. I'm sorry, I can't be of more use than that. What are you even talking about?"
"Well, I have to take you home so I need some idea on where you're from."
"Dante, you really don't remember me? If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny, so—"
"Wait, that's another thing—how do you know my name? You mentioned it when I first woke up but I'd forgotten. I don't know you and I'm fairly certain I'm not that notorious on Earth for anything yet, so it's quite impossible that we know each other, you see."
"But I—you—we—" Elizabeth sighed, frustrated, and buried her face in her hands. "Dante—"
"Look, you seem nice, alright? A bit confused, sure, but I guess I would be too if I'd seemingly suddenly lost all my memory and woke up in a strange place with a strange man with an eccentric fashion taste. I don't know your name or how you know mine, but you don't seem to have any malicious intent, which admittedly is a nice change of pace. I don't mean you any harm either, and in fact am actively trying to get you to safety, a fact which you refuse to take into account by the way-and while we're on the subject, I don't think I remember much either, but I'll get to that later. That's actually quite odd, now that I think about it...yes, why can't I remember anything beyond-" and so he went, rapidly changing the topic of conversation, turning away from a horrified Elizabeth as she watched her partner mumble and curse to himself.
His muttered words faded away as she felt herself slip away, unable to control herself. She stared at nothing as her mind raced a mile a minute. What the hell was going on here? Was Dante alright? How could he not remember her? She had a few gaps in her own memory too, that was fair enough, but at least she remembered the man in front of her. She felt her heart begin to rapidly race as many different possibilities began to race through her mind, none of them pleasant. Had something happened on their most recent adventure, a creature or something that erased memories and turned them against each other? Or maybe even a doppelgänger trying to steal the TARDIS and cause all sorts of havoc across time and space. Elizabeth didn't want to chance it, but she knew that she was currently in no position to fight, and especially when she likely had no chance against him when she didn't even know what he was capable of.
"And what—" and here he pulled at Elizabeth's attention, snapping her out of her panicked mind. "—is this? Is this yours?" He held up something for her to see, but she didn't truly process it until the light hit the object—the multicolored ribbon that he'd given her so long ago, what seems like another lifetime. Seeing him hold it so casually, with an almost fascinated disdain and with no regards for their shared history or what that moment had meant for either of them—something in her snapped.
"Goodness, it's actually quite beautiful. Wherever did you get such a thing? Hey actually, I think I had one similar to this—actually, this is mine."
Elizabeth didn't bother not breaking eye contact, as he wasn't paying attention to her anyway. She looked around the room for something to knock the imposter out with—imposter, because this wasn't Dante, he would never—she couldn't think about that right now. What was important was neutralizing a potential threat and having a moment to think. She caught sight of something shining out of the corner of her eye, and upon turning to look she saw a pair of scissors laying on the floor not three feet from her. The last thing she wanted to do was actually harm him, even if it was an imposter, he still looked like Dante. But it was that or damnation. So she inched her way over, grabbed the scissors, and, without taking any more moments to think of a plan, she lunged at him while he was still distracted.
Of course, he dodged it, as expected, but that was fine, because while he was busy staring at the new rip in his jacket, she grabbed the wrench sitting on the console, bringing it around to knock him out cold.
Once he was down for the count, so to speak, Elizabeth was able to get a closer look at...whoever, or whatever, this thing was. It certainly looked like him, that was for damn sure, but that didn't explain the behavior. She thought back to seconds before when he had turned around to be met with a faceful of metal—she wondered if that was recognition in his eyes before he'd been knocked unconscious. She wouldn't risk it. It was a difficult situation, she knew—Dante was a master at getting out of all manner of traps and sticky situations, so wherever or however she locked him up would ultimately serve her no good.
"Wait, wait!" She jumped as his eyes flew open, shielding his face with his arms. Instinctively she took another swing at him as he managed to evade that. He scrambled up and away from her, half hiding behind the console as she threw something at him. It bounced off harmlessly, and he used the moment of confusion to try to talk some sense into her. "Can you stop for one moment?" Dante scrambled and dodged another swing as it managed to hit the edge of the console. "Dammit, Elizabeth, it's me!"
"Oh, now you remember, do you?" Like I'm going to fall for that now. What did you do with Dante?"
"I am Dante, woman, seriously—"
"Knock it off—"
"Elizabeth," he said finally, exasperated. "It's me. I don't know what happened, I don't know why I didn't recognize you before, but I do now, and I'm here now, and I promise I'm the same person. I promise I'm me. Here, let me prove it to you…do you remember how we met?"
Elizabeth didn't speak, but she did nod briefly in acknowledgement. She didn't trust herself to speak just yet, and even if she had she didn't know what she would say. Dante nodded as well.
"I crashed through your ceiling and you started throwing books at me. It wasn't until Booker and I provided you with the literal key to your escape that you managed to calm down enough to trust me. Right?"
He saw Elizabeth begin to relax just a fraction, and he saw that as a positive sign to continue.
"Do you remember the first book you threw at my head? The title of it?"
After a few more moments of silence, she took a deep breath and slackened her grip on her weapon. "No, but I remember what it was about. The elaborate piping structures that allow the artificial beaches of Columbia to exist. Quite the read."
"I wouldn't know." He risked a grin, and she smiled softly in return. "Ask me any other question you would like, and I'll be able to answer it. You have to trust me-"
"Dante, that's not necessary." She dropped her weapon completely now. "I remember everything now. Well, almost everything. I don't recall how we came to be here…"
"Well we were on our way or just leaving somewhere weren't we?" He looked around and noticed a pennant on a nearby chair. "Looks like we were at the World's Fair. Probably introduced you to Walt, it's fuzzy, hopefully the details will come back to me. Now as for where we are," he checked the instruments, his face dissolving into a concerned frown before he turned on the scanner which showed…
"Nothing."
A blank white void as far as the eye could see. No horizon and no other color or shadow could be seen. Elizabeth involuntarily shuddered, stepping closer to Dante as she did.
"Do you know where we are? What is this place…?"
"This is literally nowhere. The instruments can't read anything and the scanner," he shot a hand up to it. "Isn't getting anything."
"Can we get out? We've been in worse situations, haven't we?"
"Yes but nothing like this." Dante flipped switches and buttons but after a while threw up his hands. "Fine, don't work then!" He combed his hand through his hair. "TARDIS isn't letting us leave. Gotta figure a way to bypass the automated systems, otherwise we're stuck here." Removing a panel, he got to work looking at the inner workings of the console. He was so focused on his task, he didn't notice Elizabeth sit down in a daze next to him, visibly shaken.
"But there is a way out, right? If everything goes right, will we be able to leave? Do you know how we even got here in the first place?"
"Big if and there could be a multiple number of reasons. From a broken spring to accidentally blowing up the TARDIS." This got an odd look from Elizabeth. "On accident, I assure you. Only time it was intentional was when restarting the universe."
"Oh, that makes it so much better."
"Sorry, Elizabeth. I'm not the type to sugarcoat things, you know. But trust me when I say that we will get out of this. The key is to keep a calm head and not panic. Everything will be fine as long as we stick together."
Elizabeth looked like she could still use some serious convincing, but she nodded, assured but trusting Dante to save them. "Alright then. Is there anything that I can do?"
"There's a tool chest in the second panel next to the door leading into the interior, could you please grab it?"
"Sure." She handed him the box and within minutes he was already elbow deep in work. While she waited for further instructions, she sat down near him with the intention to watch him work, but as soon as she sat down she immediately bolted upright again.
"Dante, what about my powers? Could I make a tear and transport us out of here?"
Dante stopped for a moment to consider it. "Possibly. But you likely wouldn't be able to transport the TARDIS, just the two of us. I'm not going to leave the old girl behind, no matter how stubborn she tends to be. Not to mention we've never tested this out."
"Even if it meant the two of us would be safe?"
"Elizabeth, I am going to get us out of this. All of us. I promise you that, and I need you to trust me on it. But," he amended after seeing her expression, "you're more than welcome to try to create a tear. If all else fails, well then, it would be a nifty failsafe."
Elizabeth nodded, got up from the bench, and walked off to the corner so as not to disturb Dante as he continued working. It took her a moment to remember how to actually summon a tear, which worried her, but she brushed it off as nothing as she prepared them a way out...or so she thought. As soon as the feeling of a tear opening washed over her, she was suddenly and violently knocked back against the wall by an unknown force, blacking out for a few seconds. She woke up to the concerned face of Dante as he was frantically checking her vitals.
"M'okay," she mumbled, eyes fluttering open. "But...what happened?"
"That seems to be your favorite question today," he joked without humor. "I don't know. You said you were going to try using your powers and then the next thing I know, I hear a crash and you've just landed on the other side of the room."
"It must have been the feedback from the tear. That's strange, nothing like that has ever happened before….it must be this place. We really are stuck here."
"Afraid so. In the meantime, try and help me with the rotor."
Elizabeth looked as though she wanted to protest, but ultimately decided against it. She took his proffered hand, dusted herself off, and trying to hide her anxiety, walked over to the rotor. Before she could ask Dante what to do, something flashed on the screen. What she saw made her do a double-take.
"Is that...Columbia?"
It certainly looked like it. She wasn't able to make out any particular location at first-she could see something in the distance, but she wasn't able to identify it from here. The area wasn't familiar, either, although she could positively identify it as the place she had grown up. She guessed that perhaps it was the Welcome Center's square, as looking at it for a bit longer she could match some scenery to descriptions she had read of the place. As the image moved closer she realized that the looming figure in the distance was actually a statue of Zachary Comstock holding up a sword. Skylines cut across the screen, heavy crates rolling along them and briefly obscuring her view. The sky was nearly cloudless, a beautiful blue that you simply couldn't see anywhere else. Elizabeth hadn't realized that she would ever miss it, but looking at that sky she felt a passing sense of nostalgia. If only the city had been as beautiful on the inside as well...
"Huh, what was that?"
Elizabeth started when she remembered that not only was she not alone, they were also kind of in a predicament that needed to be addressed as soon as possible. "The-the thing is showing images of Columbia...wait. It's shifting. To a picture of…"
Rapture?
It didn't look like any place she'd seen there, either, and unlike Columbia there was no scenery or architecture to identify the area. At first glance, she couldn't quite make sense of what she was seeing-and then it hit her that what she thought was the wall was actually a large, wall-length window instead, looking out over the city. There was a figure slumped over against the wall, but the room was too dark to identify it. She doubted it would have mattered anyway. She could imagine the musty, dead smell that must have lingered in the air and that was so prevalent throughout most of Rapture those days. The city was barely illuminated in the distance, with many of the once twinkling lights now dimmed or diminished, and several of the neon signs that had once proudly advertised various establishments now had either fallen into the trenches or still barely hung on to their respective buildings. Wherever this was, it certainly wasn't when she had left, but she had no way of knowing just how many years it had been. She knew it didn't matter, but she still couldn't help the feeling of uneasiness and wanting to know.
"Well there's nothing up there now." Dante checked over the console to make sure the scanner was off. "Are you certain you saw something out there? I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have brought us back to that damned place."
"It wasn't just Columbia. I saw Rapture too. But it wasn't any place in Rapture I'd seen before...actually, I hadn't been there in Columbia either." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I don't think you did take us there. We're still...nowhere."
Dante hung his head, scratching the side of it before looking back up at Elizabeth. He opened his mouth to say something but his eyes looked to the side and grew wide before he rushed over to the console.
"Did you open the doors?"
Elizabeth turned to see that the doors were ajar, having no indication of being opened beforehand. Dante quickly flicked a switch that closed them back up, ignoring Elizabeth's confused protests of having never touched the things. "Do not open those doors. We have no idea what's waiting for us outside and I don't want us to leave until we're absolutely positive that it's our only option. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Dante, I understand, but as I've already told you, I didn't touch those doors. I've been by your side this entire time."
"Alright. But then who opened them? Unless I crossed the wrong wire or something, the TARDIS shouldn't be doing that."
"Something in this place maybe? I'm not sure."
"Have you ever heard of any place like this? Did your mentor ever come here?"
When Dante didn't respond, having gone back to trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the TARDIS, Elizabeth sighed, resigned to her fate and intending to simply sit there until further instruction until the doors swung open again, without either of them having touched the console. Before Elizabeth could say anything, she heard a voice beckoning her outside. The voice was...strange. Unfamiliar, and yet she felt as though she could trust it with her life. It felt so comforting, and it was calling to her, beckoning her to step outside for just a moment. She knew she shouldn't, but that voice...why shouldn't she again? She began, as if in a trance, to walk to the doors, and before she could stop herself, she was already outside.
Dante didn't even notice for a few moments, too preoccupied with trying to fix whatever was wrong.
"Elizabeth, could you hand me the…" He peaked from under the console to see her gone and the doors opened. "Elizabeth!" All pretenses of calm and connectedness vanished as he realized what had happened. His hearts raced and blood pounded in his ears as he grabbed his jacket from off the coat hanger before rushing out the door, closing and locking the exterior doors behind him. Dante frantically looked around at white void surrounding him, all the while shouting her name. "Elizabeth? Elizabeth!" Nothing. He couldn't even see anything with all of this brightness. This gave him an idea as he began to look in his pockets frantically before pulling out a pair of raybans and putting them on. He tapped the side of them as the vision changed to something akin to a tracker vision, looking on the ground to see a set of footprints leading off somewhere. Dante followed them for a good while, all the while calling her name before the prints stopped dead. He yelled out her name one more time hearing a faint response.
"Dante?"
Stopping dead in his tracks, he headed into the direction the voice was coming from, responding constantly until he saw a figure in the distance. It must have been Elizabeth, but he almost didn't recognize her. She looked the same as always but looked...lost, shuffling around hand having a hand out in front of her. He rushed over to her and enveloped her in a hug, which startled her for a moment, before she gave one back.
"What did I exactly tell you not to...?" As he pulled back and looked her over, the words died in his mouth when he saw her eyes. They were…he couldn't describe them exactly, but they looked dead. Gone were the blue cornflower irises—they had been greyed out and were darting around frantically, as if she couldn't see what was right in front of her.
"All I can see is white, why can't I see you?" She asked, her voice shaking and bordering on desperate. "What's…what's going on?"
"Well if I'm right, this place doesn't work the way ours normally does. So our eyes won't adjust to the way this universe works since our bodies aren't made for this world. So your brain isn't accepting it, ergo, you're blind."
"I'm…" She was beginning to process the horror that was presented to her until Dante cut in before she could freak out. He tapped her on the shoulder to make sure her focus was on him before he spoke.
"But not to worry, I think there's something I can do." He took off his shades and slipped them onto her face and tapped the sides a couple times. "Only thing you'll probably see is me but it's better than nothing."
Elizabeth blinked a couple times before even attempting to process what she was seeing. Her vision was filled with a green grid and outlined Dante in a bright green line. When she looked all around with her new gear, everything was much the same way, outlined in a dark green and otherwise unremarkable. She couldn't honestly say that she enjoyed the experience, but it was miles better than what she had had before. She squinted to see near the upper corner of the display. "What's browser history?"
"Ah, something you really shouldn't look at." Dante said, slightly panicked, having Elizabeth's arms interlock his right arm. "I guess we'll have to keep walking until we end up finding the TARDIS."
"How long do you think that will take?"
"I'm not certain. C'mon, let's get moving."
The two walked in absolute silence with only the sound of their footsteps being echoed throughout the white void. Elizabeth was beginning to feel stir crazy, with not a single word spoken between them for quite some time. So she tried to strike up a conversation.
"So...Dante, where do you want to go after this is over? I'm thinking maybe Paris again, we haven't been in a while…"
Dante said nothing in response as he looked on ahead and kept walking. It didn't even look like he registered what she had said to him, which worried her-could he not hear her, or did he simply not care? Had she done something wrong in that case?
With no one to talk to, and not wanting to feel like she was going insane, she started to hum La Vie En Rose hoping it'd calm her nerves. The quietly hummed opening notes filled the silence as she tried to drown out everything else. It didn't really work, but she could pretend that it did. It at least gave her a distraction.
"Please stop that." Dante asked firmly, but politely. "It's distracting."
"Oh, so now you're talking to me?" No response. "It helps to calm my nerves. What am I distracting you from, anyway?" Again, nothing. "Oh, come on. Dante, seriously? If you're mad at me, the least you could do is tell me what you're mad at me for. I told you before, I didn't open the doors, either time-although I guess I did walk out of the TARDIS when you told me not to. Is that it? IS that why you're mad at-"
"How long has it been?"
"...What?"
"How long do you think we've been walking for?"
"I...ah." Well, she'd been a bit preoccupied with not going insane, hadn't she? She hadn't thought to keep track of the time, but thinking back on it… "Well, it can't have been more than a few hours, at the most, right?"
"Wrong. Elizabeth, we've been walking for thirty four hours. Your perception of time and reality doesn't work here-in fact, it may have been longer than that. You're not hungry or tired because you haven't even thought about it, and my own senses went out hours ago. I've been counting my own heartbeats to calculate the time, which is what you were distracting me from and why I haven't been talking. Now, to preserve both of our energies I suggest we don't speak, but we should keep walking so that we can find and go back to the TARDIS. Once we get back we'll rest before trying to solve this problem again."
"Wait, what-"
"No talking. Shh. Let's just keep going."
"But, Dante-"
"'Elizabeth-"
"I'm tired, I'm hungry, and just now I'm learning that we've been walking for several hours without stop and you didn't even bother to say anything to me at any point. What the hell, I thought we were in this together? If I hadn't annoyed you into talking would you even have told me at all? You know, come to think of it, how many times have you not told me the truth or the whole truth?"
Dante stopped dead in his tracks and faced her. "Maybe the fact that I lie to you is because I'm trying to protect you?"
"What, because you don't trust me to be able to make my own decisions and think for myself? What kind of a partnership is that?"
"The kind where you aren't killed, tortured or effectively brainwashed into submission by some maniac!"
"Oh, please. You've never trusted me or thought I could do things on my own. I'm never allowed to make my own decisions, it's always you hovering over me and telling me what to do and what not to do! Even if what you're saying is true, why not guide me on the right path instead of jumping in and doing things for me?"
"Because the last time you made a decision, you went on a pointless revenge mission that would've ended with you dying! Face it Elizabeth, at the end of the day you're still the same reckless, naive girl that was trapped in the tower in Columbia. You spent all of that time and energy chasing after a man already dead inside and who was going to die anyway in a matter of months, just so you could feel better about yourself!"
"He wasn't going to die—"
"Yes he was, Elizabeth, and if you had succeeded you would have gotten yourself killed in the process. I ask you what is the point in that? He didn't even remember what he had done, he was a sad, miserable old man that had lost everything and would have died anyway, and you gave up your life to punish him? Do you even know the lengths you would have gone to to do so had I not stepped in? You would've become just like him Elizabeth, so yes, I don't trust you to make your own decisions, and I have lied to protect you, because clearly you've needed it!"
Elizabeth stood there for a moment, speechless and clearly wanting to have the last word, but in the end couldn't think of anything to say to counter that, so she said nothing at all. Instead she took a deep breath, glared at him, and turned and walked away, leaving Dante to do the same. She walked until he was nothing but a mere speck behind her, all the while holding back bitter tears.
A few began to trickle out and as she wiped them away, she ran head first into...a door. But not just any door, she realized as she gathered her bearings and inspected it closer. It looked like the doors she had seen in the Sea of Doors, but she knew that was impossible. It seemed like forever ago that she had stepped into their threshold, and the days where she would almost regularly do so were long since past. She'd forgotten how much she missed this place…except…
This wasn't the Sea of Doors. This was a simple facade, a trick that her crazed mind was playing on her…or maybe something much more sinister. The Sea of Doors that she knew gave off a calming aura, a sense of peace and ease that was almost otherworldly, as if one's troubles were so far away as to not even exist in the first place. Nothing mattered there, but it wasn't frightening—it was comforting, in a strange way. It was hard to tell whether time passed quickly there or not at all. Perhaps both, but that didn't matter now.
This place was…she couldn't describe it at first. It didn't feel evil, exactly, but it felt…wrong. Not just because it didn't feel like the Sea of Doors, no—she had the strangest feeling that this place wanted to hurt her, or at least keep her there indefinitely. Still, despite knowing this, she persisted, realizing that it was either this or turning back around to find Dante.
She crossed the threshold.
XxxxX
Dante was still wandering the white void, hoping by some chance he'd come across the TARDIS. Even then, he couldn't just leave Elizabeth here, then again, nothing was stopping him. He wondered if he'd even be able to find her in this place. He had to believe he would. He didn't know what he'd do if he didn't.
He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the door until he almost ran into it. Upon a second glance, he noticed that the door looked…familiar. It took him a moment to realize where he'd seen that design—it was modeled exactly like a door from the Sea of Doors. He knew that it wasn't, of course; that would not only be impossible, but improbable as well. He immediately stepped back from the door, inspecting it. Already he could tell that this was no ordinary door, but he knew that beforehand. This door appeared here to him all of a sudden and in this place, that couldn't spell anything good. He felt uneasiness creep into him as he examined it further. With no TARDIS in sight and no other choices, he opened the door and crossed its threshold.
The first, and for a few moments only, thing that he saw was a flash of bright, white light that overwhelmed his vision. When he came back to his senses he realized that he was outside, on a warm, sunny day, in front of a very non-specific looking house with a white picket fence. 'Well,' he thought, examining it. 'That's a little on the nose, isn't it?' Still, it was much better than where he had been before. He felt like he could actually breathe out here, even if logically he knew it was nothing more than a simple hallucination. He wondered whether it was really a smart decision to walk up the stone pathway to go inside the house, but looking around and seeing nothing but rolling hills for miles, reasoned that he really had no other options, so going inside it was. As he approached the gate he saw that it was closed, but upon reaching down to touch it the gate swung open on its own. He looked in front to see...himself, walking towards the door. He felt solid enough but this was feeling like an out of body experience, now even more so as he was drawn next to his double and was following him. Just as his dopple was opening the door, it opened to reveal…
XxxxX
Elizabeth—or rather, Elizabeth's double—opened the door to Dante, whom she immediately pounced upon with a kiss. He lifted her up, their lips still locked, and carried her inside to the couch, kicking the door closed behind him.
"How was work?" she managed to get out after they separated.
"The usual," Dante shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing too exciting. Mostly was just watching the clock, waiting to get back to you and—"
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a baby crying. Elizabeth and Dante looked at each other, sighed, and Elizabeth grimaced while Dante grinned.
"Hey, don't look at me, I've been working all day."
"You could help out every now and then too, you know," she groused good-naturedly as she got up off the couch and pecked him once more on the cheek. "You may have been at work but at least you've been dealing with adults, who are now and then occasionally prone to reason and don't cry incessantly for no reason for hours at a time."
"Hmm...alright, fair enough," he said to her, retreating back.
Elizabeth couldn't help but snicker at his comment even though he could no longer hear her, shaking her head as she went.
Unbeknownst to her, her double was watching her, stunned, as she made her way to the nursery. The real Elizabeth watched as her double passed through the kitchen, stopping only to grab an apple from a bowl on the counter before cheerily making her way towards the sound of a baby's crying. Even as she disappeared from sight, Elizabeth couldn't find it in herself to follow. Even more so now that she can see, without the glasses, once she had crossed the threshold. All of this was...she couldn't exactly find the words, honestly. What was this? Where was she, what was happening-was this some manifestation of her deepest darkest desires? She had never considered before the possibility of slowing down, settling down and raising a family. It had never even crossed her mind before. She supposed she could be excused in that, seeing as she was always in between one adventure or another, and with her current lifestyle the possibility of a family was almost nonexistent. Seeing herself like this, with a stable home and a child, with Dante, was...weird. Not a good weird, she realized, but not a bad weird, either...just...strange. She had never known this kind of domesticity, or known anyone who had been able to experience it for themselves. Distantly, she also realized that the people she had actually known thus far in her life were few and far between, and she could probably count them on both hands with some fingers leftover…
She turned her attention to the other Dante, who was still lounging on the couch, taking a moment to collect himself and recuperate from his long day before helping his partner in the nursery. As she watched him smile at the sound of Elizabeth's softened voice, she realized with alarming clarity that...she wanted this. Or did she? She had never thought that something like this might be in her future, or something that would suit her. After all of these adventures, her life on the run, first with Booker and Columbia then her mission in Rapture, and after everything with Dante, the simple life seemed so wrong, too unobtainable. But was it really? Would she really be content with this life? Would it really be enough for her, giving up time travel and death defying adventures for something so commonplace? She didn't know, but she had the worst feeling that there was only one way to truly find out.
And what of Dante? She didn't want to think about him right now-her earlier feud with him was almost entirely pushed out of her mind due to the more recent events-but it was hard not to when his double was sitting right across from her, staring out the window at something unseen. Would he be content with this kind of life? Where the most exciting thing to happen to him would be something involving their child, or an unexpected variety to the same daily routine? What would he think about chasing after adventure with barely any time in between to rest to staying in one place, with her, for years? His only view of the stars being from millions of miles away instead of among them? What would she think? She realized she didn't know.
She had never really had a moment to stop and really think about what she wanted. When there was a day or two of respite in between exploring the universe, she would usually be far too content in the here and now with Dante to worry about any sort of future, thinking that if they were to keep on doing this forever, she would be happy. And she would, wouldn't she? But...maybe there was some merit to the idea of one day settling down and...starting something new. Maybe. One day.
Oh, she didn't know. She would have plenty of time later to figure out her thoughts and feelings on the matter, and she would have to set it aside for later, because right now that's not where her priorities were. Right now her priorities lay in attempting to find a way out of this...dreamscape...and back to the TARDIS-although, she would begrudgingly admit, this was a much better scenery than where she had just been previously. Although she wasn't eager to return, she knew that this place was nothing more than a dead end with a pretty face.
Her musings were interrupted by Dante's sighing and finally getting up off the couch to join Elizabeth's double. With no other incentive to stay here, and seeing no other real option, she chose to follow him as he too went to the now quiet nursery. As she made her own way there, she started to feel...off. She wasn't sure what she was feeling exactly. She could call it a premonition, but that word didn't feel right. She wasn't exactly uneasy, but she couldn't help but feel that she was heading towards danger. Still, it wasn't like there was anything for her here.
She arrived at the nursery door, which Dante had closed behind him. She thought she could hear the two of them inside, but whatever they were saying was distorted and muffled as if they were seperated by something much more than a slab of wood. Despite her best efforts she couldn't make any words out. With a reluctant sigh, she reached for the handle, opening the door.
She had expected to either be greeted with yet another domestic scene or a brilliant flash of light not unlike when she had opened the first door that had led her here. What she got instead was immediate darkness, enveloping her in cold terror as she was pulled away from the sunny, idealistic afternoon into a place she didn't yet realize she recognized. A place she'd thought she'd left behind forever.
The first thing she noticed was the smell. Wherever she was, it was dank and musty, and smelled horribly of fish and copper. Death was no stranger here-she could feel its presence in the atmosphere, heavy and unyielding. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden and drastic lighting change, but when they did her heart sank into her stomach. She knew where she was. Not the exact location-if she cared she was sure she could find out based on context clues even though she'd never seen this area before. But it didn't matter. She attempted to take a deep breath but instantly regretted it as what she assumed was the smell of rotted death filled her nostrils. She grimaced. Well, might as well get this over with. The sooner she saw whatever it was she was supposed to see the sooner she could leave this place. Because that's all this was-one big hallucination, a simple nightmare her frazzled mind came up with or that someone else was putting in her head. This place wasn't real.
Looking for the first time at her surroundings she saw that she was in some kind of dark hallway. There was no place she could have come from. Behind her the path ended in an abrupt dead end, but the way forward led to a room length window overlooking the sunken city.
Rapture.
She steeled her resolve and took her first step forward. As she got closer to the window she realized that she could make out two dark figures against the window, crouched down and huddled together-who they were she couldn't yet say, but she could positively identify one as a young girl. A Little Sister? She didn't see any Big Daddies around-what was a Gatherer doing all the way out here, by herself? Elizabeth got closer.
When she saw who the Little Sister was huddled up against, she honestly considered throwing up.
Because it was her. Her, bleeding from a traumatic head wound, slumped against the window and clutching what looked to be the head of a child's doll. The Little Sister-Sally, she realized with a sickening start-was murmuring something to her double as she died. Elizabeth didn't know what she was saying, even as she moved closer. She could now clearly see both of them, their silhouettes bathed in the soft, haunted glow of the ocean. Her head wound looked so much worse this close up. She could see the rivulets of crimson cascading down her forehead to line her right cheek, and it quickened its pace when she smiled at the Little Sister. The girl-Sally, she reprimanded herself-grabbed the other Elizabeth's hand as her grip went slack, her eyes clouding over as her gaze went vacant. No words were spoken between her double and the girl-there weren't any needed. An unspoken understanding had passed between the two as her final act.
Elizabeth expected the girl to do-something. She didn't know what. Maybe stop whispering, let out a wail, or start crying, possibly for a guardian as unlikely as that was. But no. Afterwards she simply squeezed the dead woman's hand before raising it to rest upon her ruined skirt. Another moment and her other hand was positioned the same. Sally picked up the doll's head that had rolled out of her double's slack fingers, stuck it back onto its rightful owner, and placed the doll on her savior's lap. She stood up, and watched the woman for a couple of moments before hesitantly reaching out to close her clouded eyes for a final time. As the real Elizabeth watched, Sally patted the top of her doomed counterpart's head, whispered a teary goodbye, and walked away.
She didn't see where she went. She didn't care much. Probably crawled through one of the vents that were no doubt in this incredibly spacious room. She didn't want to get closer to her own corpse, so she kept her distance, instead opting to look at her from afar. How had this happened? What path had she taken where this was the ending result? Did her revenge scheme against Comstock lead the "other" her to this? Was this what Dante had been trying to save her from? A burial at sea?
She couldn't take it anymore. She backed away, slowly at first, and then broke into a full run back the way she'd come when she fully realized just what it was she was looking at. She no longer had time for rational thoughts or emotion. She just needed to get out, now.
It wasn't until she was a few feet away that she realized which direction she was headed in. The hallway up ahead still looked as though it ended in a dead end, but she couldn't stop herself from running towards it anyway. As she got nearer, she realized that a familiar feeling was beginning to wash over her, the same feeling that had been present when she'd opened that door for the first time. But there wasn't a door here-not that she could see. So why was she-
She had to stop herself from running headfirst into the back wall, and when she did she saw there was yet another door. Well, that explained it. She wondered what awaited her on the other side. Was she going to be taken to another scene of untold horror, or was she to be returned to that cold and empty void? She wouldn't find out by simply standing here, and anything was better than Rapture. Elizabeth reached for the door handle and opened it. The scene that she was met with made her do a double take.
It was her, again, but also several other people she had never met before, mostly young girls that Elizabeth could only imagine were former Little Sisters. They were participating in various activities, whispering among themselves, eating snacks, or simply playing. There were also a couple of girls that looked to be teenagers, watching the girls or doing their own thing. She had no clue who they might be-too old to be Little Sisters, but they weren't real, so she supposed it didn't really matter. Over where Elizabeth's double was seated were two other adults and what looked to be a young woman, possibly a teenager, all with serious expressions on their face and quietly discussing something.
Elizabeth made her way over to them, careful to avoid colliding with any of the various children crowded into the combined living and dining room area. The adults were seated around a dining table. She arrived in time to catch the end of whatever one of the adults was saying, a middle aged woman with grey streaks in her curly brown hair and a face that looked like she'd been through hell. With a start, she realized that this was none other than Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, whom she and Dante had briefly met after their last escapade in Rapture.
"...made contact with almost all of their families. A small few don't have anyone to go back to, so something must be done with them, but for most their families are anxious to see them again. We have most of their locations, but I am still trying to find a few. Regardless, I am sure that within a month or two, they will all be returned home."
"That's fantastic news, Brigid," the other adult sighed in relief. The speaker was a man whom upon closer inspection did seem slightly familiar, but she couldn't imagine where she would know him from. "I wasn't sure we'd be able to find them all. And of course there's the language barrier, which has already proven to be difficult enough with the girls…"
Brigid simply nodded, humming an affirmation and not offering any further insight, seemingly too engrossed in her thoughts to respond properly. The other young woman at the table chose this moment to speak up, her voice surprisingly strong for someone who looked so fragile.
"I'm sure you've already got your hands full with your own daughters, Jack. I wouldn't mind taking in the girls that don't have any families to go back to. Granted, I do need a few things before I can do so-"
"Which we are more than willing to help you with," Jack interrupted. "You and the girls are more than welcome to stay as long as you like. I'm sure my girls wouldn't mind another sister," he smiled warmly, and at the sight something in Elizabeth's mind clicked. That's where she had seen him-she had gotten a few glimpses of this man and his future in Rapture, when she was planning her revenge scheme, and a few more when she had bothered to peek behind the Doors every now and then. This was Jack Ryan, one of the many men behind the doors who had either saved or damned Rapture, and who had in the case of the former, saved Sally.
"I think for now my place will be more than sufficient," Brigid spoke up. "It is small, yes, but it will only be for a month or so. I think for now it would be best if all of the children stayed with me, but you are more than welcome to stay with us Eleanor. Once the other children are with their rightful families, then I will help you and your father find a place of your own with the remainders."
"That's very generous of you, Dr. Tenenbaum. Thank you."
Elizabeth's double took the break in conversation to finally say something, looking at Jack in a way that she wasn't sure she was totally comfortable with. She didn't have time to decipher that look however, as another issue was suddenly brought to her attention. "Does anyone know where Dante went?" she asked loudly, leaving the conspiratorial whispers behind.
"I think he's outside in the barn, helping Mr. Porter," one of the teenagers called out from the kitchen as she put a dish in the sink. The girl tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, making a face. "I wouldn't go out there unless you have to. It smells awful."
"Do you know if he's almost done?"
The teen shrugged, drying her hands. "Don't think so. He said that it was going to take a couple of days."
"Thank you, Sally," Elizabeth called, and then turned back to the table. "I'm going to go and check on them," she told them. "I'll let you know how it's going." She smiled at Jack, who smiled back, and the sight made Elizabeth's stomach churn. Her double, oblivious to her counterpart's inner turmoils, cheerily left the room and supposedly went out to the barn.
It was a few seconds before Elizabeth followed, turning to look at the teen who was now trying to convince one of the other teens to help her with the dishes. "Sally?" she whispered to herself, but of course no one answered. She took a step closer, examining the girl. It was her all right-the very same. Her features had filled out over the years-although admittedly the only time she had ever seen the child was through a photograph. She was definitely not the same child that she had once planned to use in her revenge against the final Comstock, and looking at her now, she's so glad that she had never gotten the chance. She's glad that Sally escaped the cycle of violence, and that she got to come up here and live a normal life with a happy, loving family. She deserved it. Smiling sadly, she turned away from the scene, following her double outside to the barn.
Her double was standing outside of the barn, whispering something. She didn't look like she was talking to anyone. Upon getting closer she could hear the sounds of frustration in her voice, as if she didn't like what she was saying to herself.
"Just...go on in," her double was saying. "Be honest, and respectful. Sure, it'll hurt, but...he deserves to know, and he deserves to know why, without making a scene. Alright. Okay. Here I go." And she opened the barn door.
XxxxX
Dante looked up from where he was giving Porter a final check up. The barn door swung open to reveal Elizabeth, looking anxiously at the scene before her. After a quick greeting, he finished up what he was working on and patted the old man gently on the back. "I think you're good for now, Mr. Porter. Obviously I'd suggest you take it easy for the next few days, try to rest and when you're fully healed we'll see about those vocal cords, yeah?"
Mr. Porter nodded, obviously thankful for the help, and after a firm handshake and a nod to Elizabeth, he was on his way back inside.
"Hey. I just finished up with Porter. Johnny Topside took some time, but he's overall fine aside from his vocal cords, nothing a little rest and healing can't fix. Though placing him inside a new body took awhile and that had to be under my supervision, otherwise it wouldn't have been possible, let alone work." He wiped his hands clean and tossed aside the rag, turning to face Elizabeth with a smirk. "All in all, I think coming back and helping Tenenbaum worked out for the best."
While the dopple was smirking, no doubt due to his handy work, the real Dante only could muster the ghost of one. He'd witnessed what seemed to be another venture winding down, though why in heaven would he want to drag Elizabeth back to Rapture baffled him. Still, he stood back and looked on as the two "shadows" talked.
Elizabeth shoved her hands in her pockets, smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes, something which Dante quickly noticed. "You're right. I'm glad we did too." She looked around the barn, at anywhere but Dante, seemingly debating on whether or not to say something.
"Is there something wrong?"
Elizabeth sighed heavily, turning to her partner of who knew how many years, and he realized that she was looking at him differently than she had in a long time. After a moment of simply looking at each other, wanting more than anything to delay the inevitable, she finally spoke.
"Dante...we need to talk. Now-" she held up a quick hand, preventing him from speaking. "I know that you probably already know what this is about. But I need you to let me talk, and just listen. I need you to know why, so that there are no hard feelings. Can you do that for me?"
Dante simply nodded.
"Alright. Thank you. Do you...do you remember, ages ago, when we had that adventure with the Dream Lord, and afterwards I talked about maybe one day settling down, buying a house somewhere and starting a family? A regular work day where the most exciting thing to happen would be a promotion, or something you saw on your walk? No more death defying adventures, worrying constantly for your safety or mine, and finally having the chance to heal? From...everything? You told me you would think about it, but that you didn't think that was really in the cards for us, and that was the end of it. I've always suspected that you could never dream of leaving your adventures behind for a quiet, boring life. Once, I thought so too. When you told me that it would never happen, I accepted it and moved on, because at least I would still be travelling the universes, with you, right?
But...I don't want to. Not anymore. When we came to help Tenenbaum, and we met Jack and his family...Dante, he's like me. We were both raised to be like our respective fathers-we both had no control over our own upbringing or lives until we decided to break the cycle and do something about it. We broke free of our respective destinies, and while I went gallivanting across the stars with you, he stayed and decided to live a quiet life. Everything I didn't realize I had wanted. The simple, plain route, with a job and a family and a home all the way out here. When we came here, and I saw how content and truly happy he and his family were, despite being just like everyone else...I realized I still wanted that too, and I realized...if that's what I wanted, I had to let you go. I could never have that kind of life with you, even if you said you would. I know you, you'd never be content, always looking for the next adventure wherever we settled, and nothing would ever be exciting enough for you. It may not be in the cards for you, but it is for me...and Jack."
Elizabeth took a few moments to collect herself-looking at Dante, she saw that his expression remained neutral. He wasn't going to give anything away until she had finished saying her piece, and yes, even though he already knew where this was going and didn't need to hear more, he would give her this. This was for her peace of mind. Realizing that she was waiting for a signal to continue, he nodded once, and she did.
"I don't want to hurt you, and I wish it hadn't come to this. I still love you, but if it's between you and putting the rest of my life, the life I want to live on my own terms, on hold? I can't do that. I'm sorry. I hope you understand."
Dante, both of them, was speechless. The shadow kept a straight face, but opened and closed his mouth while trying to come up with something to say. The real one was doing his impression of a goldfish, all the while, contemplating what Elizabeth had just said. Ever since the Dream Lord incident, the thought of her leaving him had plagued his mind. Hell, the thought of him just settling down somewhere in case he'd never go back home had been on the back burner as well. The real Dante put this thought to the side for now, but kept it on his list of top priorities, while the shadow simply replied with, "I do. And I wish the best for you both."
Elizabeth heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I wish the best for you as well. Promise me you'll come to visit sometimes? You'd never be turned away."
"Of course." He dug through his pocket and pulled out a box that was tied up with a ribbon. "Meant to give this to you sooner, but you know how it is: put things off one day and it's one hundred years later."
After a moment of hesitation, she picked up the box and unwrapped it, gasping when she saw what was inside. Her own sonic screwdriver. It was a different design than Dante's-this one was silver with a bronze tip and two bright blue rings around the handle, with two green rings right under the tip and at the top of the handle. It was simple, but lovely. She imagined she'd have much use for something like this in the future, although she lamented that she would not be able to use it with Dante. "Thank you, Dante. Thank you so much." She carefully placed the gift back into the box, smiling sadly as she looked up at him. "For everything."
Dante gave her a small sad smile as well, the two giving the other a hug.
"Give everyone my regards."
He then walked out of the barn towards a '68 Camaro. He got in and gave one last look at the house, still bustling with laughter and lights, as he turned on the ignition and drove off. The real Dante looked on as he saw Elizabeth's "shadow" sadly sigh before walking back into the house. He opted to follow her as he stepped through the threshold and back into a white void.
XxxxX
Out of all the things she expected to do in her life—which was already a short list considering the kind of life she led—that had not been on it. Yes, she had wanted to eventually settle down and start something new. Hadn't she realized as much in an earlier adventure? Hadn't she too had that exact conversation with Dante some time ago? She wasn't sure she believed her double when she had said that Dante would never want that. When she'd had that same talk with him, he had expressed interest. Is this what would happen if she left him then? Left her partner of the last however many years for some guy she'd just met? If she…got tired of the life, and simply said no? She would admit, these recent adventures of theirs were a bit of a drag. The more she thought of it, the more she longed for a break. Maybe nothing as drastic as settling down, but maybe a month or so staying in one place wouldn't kill them. But what if she was free of the life? What if Dante decided he didn't want the quiet life after all and said no? She would have to go on without him. She didn't know if she was capable of doing that.
Hell, she couldn't even entertain the notion. Elizabeth sighed heavily. She had been foolish enough to think that she and Dante could work through any issue that came their way. But with something as life changing as this, what if they couldn't agree? She didn't know if she would go off and find someone else, but she had a feeling that if that's what she wanted it was a possibility that Dante wouldn't be a part of it.
Oh, she couldn't think about that now. All of the what-ifs made her head spin, and she needed full focus for what was coming next, because by the barn entrance another door had appeared. As she neared it, that familiar feeling of dread and uneasiness washed over her, and she shuddered. She could only hope that this time, she wasn't faced with another nightmare scenario. She reached for the handle, turned it, and was met with a blast of bright light.
When her vision returned, she found herself in a small but cozy apartment. The furniture was somewhat sparse but the place definitely looked lived in-there were papers, folders and pens on the coffee table and a blanket draped over the back of the sofa, there were dishes in the sink, and the TV was on and switched to a news channel, although it was muted. A strong smell of pasta wafted through the apartment, no doubt from her counterpart's leftover food also left on the coffee table but pushed to the side. A window had been left open, letting in the chilly night air and the sounds of the city's nightlife. Peeking out the window, she couldn't determine exactly where she was-definitely not Paris, but not any place she recognized off the top of her head. A noise from inside the apartment caught her attention, and as she turned to investigate she saw her double coming out of the bathroom wearing a robe. She made her way over to the small kitchen and prepared herself a glass of champagne before heading over to the living room area, grabbing a book from the counter on her way over. She set the items down before organizing some papers, placing them in an office bag, and marking down any she'd missed.
Elizabeth couldn't exactly determine what it was she was doing, but it looked mildly interesting if the expression on her double's face was anything to go by. At some point he brought out a red pen and began writing on the pages, frowning as she circled things or scribbled in the margins. Upon getting closer and catching a few sentences on the current paper it became apparent that she was grading school essays-by the wording and subject material of what she caught, she would wager college level. Every now and then her double would read something, frown or cringe, and take a sip of champagne. She didn't do much else, and Elizabeth strongly suspected she wouldn't for a while, as the stack of papers was quite large and she seemed engrossed in her task.
Elizabeth wondered what she was supposed to do here. She could extrapolate information from the few details in front of her-clearly, this version of her was a teacher at a local college. From the looks of things she lived alone, which meant that this future did not have Jack in it...or Dante. Maybe this was what would happen if she left him on her own? Or maybe he left her...no, she didn't believe he would do that. But then what had caused them to separate? Was it the same as last time-wanting a quiet, normal life even if he didn't? She wondered if they were still in contact. She had no idea if Dante had what was considered a normal way of communicating, but she couldn't imagine that they would separate and then cut ties.
Looking back at her counterpart, she hadn't moved from her position on the couch, so Elizabeth sighed and went over to the window. If nothing else, if she noticed a landmark she could at least figure out where she was. But no luck. All she saw outside was a courtyard in which a couple of teenagers were playing soccer, cheering and yelling at each other. There was also a fenced in pool area off to the side and a paved pathway leading to another building not too far from the area. In the distance the only things she saw were nondescript buildings and a skyscraper or two. It didn't look like anywhere she'd seen before, although she guessed she was probably somewhere in New York or Chicago, or really any other place where big ugly buildings ruining the landscape were the norm. She considered attempting to close the window, as the noise from the teens outside was rather distracting and it was a bit chilly, but upon reaching out to touch the windowsill, her fingers went right through it. So much for that idea.
A noise behind her made her jump, and she turned around to find that her double had put her stack of papers aside and reached behind her for something. When she moved Elizabeth realized that there was an end table behind the couch, holding a few books, her bag, and now her students' graded papers. The other Elizabeth got up, stretched, and made her way over to a corner in the kitchen, where she clearly hesitated before sighing and grabbing something off the wall. It looked like a landline, but she didn't dial in a number for more than a few seconds. Elizabeth wondered what she was waiting for. Finally the other Elizabeth sighed, rested her head against the wall, and hung up, making her way back to the sofa and flopping down on it.
"I mean, you think he would have called me at some point, right?" she asked the empty air. "He can't have been so busy that he would forget to call every now and then. I mean, I know he's off saving the galaxies and whatnot but every now and then...and I don't want to bother him if he really is busy, you know…" She sighed again, much more dramatically this time.
"But he never calls me first. I wonder how long it's been for him. Has he forgotten me?" She made a face, and then sat up suddenly, glaring at her almost empty glass of alcohol. "Oh, I have had too much to drink. I knew that was a bad idea, it's making me...ugh." The other Elizabeth shook her head, grabbing the glass and turning back around to stare out the window. "I think I make a fair point though, don't I? If he really wanted to keep in touch like he said he did then he would call or at least show up unexpectedly every now and then, but it's always me calling…" Another sip and she sighed. "Well, I suppose that's the price I pay for giving up the life. I do miss it, but this life is pretty nice too. It's nice to do absolutely nothing and still feel like you're accomplishing something...no wait, it's the other way around...or is it?" She finished her glass, put it behind her, and grabbed the stack of papers in its stead. "It doesn't really matter I guess. I've still got some work to do so I'll leave the conversation with myself for when I go to bed. Now…" and she continued where she had left off, mumbling to herself and writing in the margins.
Elizabeth didn't know quite what to make of her other self's tipsy rant. She didn't have much to say, honestly. Everything had already been said for her by...well, herself. What else was there to really say? She doubted Dante would just leave and forget about her-she doubted too that Dante had simply left her. As her counterpart said, this was Elizabeth's own decision. Dante probably was quite busy, and probably didn't realize he was going so long without calling. Besides, Elizabeth had a phone, she could always call herself if she really wanted. It wasn't possible that he had simply forgotten about her-even if it had been longer for him, she couldn't imagine that he wouldn't remember her after all of the time spent together and the adventures they'd had. Elizabeth chalked the whole thing up to the tipsy ramblings of the lonely and left it at that. Although, she couldn't help but wonder if her counterpart was...unhappy. She was sitting here, drinking champagne alone in her apartment after a long day of working. She didn't seem unhappy, necessarily-in fact she seemed mostly content-but she couldn't help but wonder if the other her regretted it. She distantly hoped that she didn't, and that if so it wasn't too late to turn back. Elizabeth snapped to attention as she suddenly felt uneasy and on guard, which meant that it was time to leave the scene. She looked around for the door, found it, and after a last look at her dopple, who still hadn't moved, she turned the handle.
XxxxX
Dantre expected as much for the scene to change once he stepped through the threshold, the scene going from a warm and glowing house to a rundown looking motel room. He looked around before seeing himself, wearing something akin to Mad Max, alongside a younger gentleman who wore a dirtied blue jumpsuit. From the looks of it, both were armed with a side pistol and an assault rifle as one of them checked a peep in boarded up windows.
"Looks like they've passed us by."
"Can't be too certain." Dante's shadow sighed before slumping against a ruined chair. "Still, take five and we'll get moving."
His companion took a seat on the floor, all the while pulling out a picture and smiling at it. The young man stuffed it back in his pocket before asking, "Have you ever fallen in love?"
Dante just scoffed.
"I'm being serious. You've basically probed me for my life story, only fair you tell me a bit of yours."
He took a glance towards the windows before sighing. "Once, ages ago. Met her during a job I was partnered to do."
"What was the job?"
"Grab her and get out. It was anything but simple, but I won't bore you with the details." The expression on his face turned melancholic as he remnised the memory, a grin lining his mouth. "She was fair skinned, had dark chocolate hair, pink lips and the bluest eyes you can imagine. And that laugh of hers, you'd swear she was an angel."
"What happened to her?"
Dante's mood shifted drastically, shifting to a saddened expression that carried pain and regret. "She left me. Just one day out of the blue left. Didn't leave a note or anything." He looked out the window and his face hardened as he gripped his rifle. "We got movement."
His partner sprang up, switching off the safety on his rifle, as the duo swiftly walked over by the door till they pressed their backs against the wall. Dante's shadow gave a silent countdown before opening the door slightly, his partner tossing a grenade out, waiting for the sound of an explosion before the duo advanced outside. The real Dante took this time to take a seat where his shadow sat and think to himself. Most if not all people who've traveled with him or the Doctor left eventually. The last scene he witnessed was evident of that and felt like the time when Jo departed. But he honestly and truly wanted Elizabeth to be happy as well as be by his side. Not just because he wanted to protect her or needed someone to be impressed by his actions or even that he didn't want to travel alone; but it was because he truly did love her.
But he could never tell her that.
She was human and he was a timelord. She aged, he just regenerated. That among the many, many enemies he'd made over the years or will continue to make. All of that prevented him from just having a "normal" life. And whether one day she left or he just left her somewhere safe, it'd break his heart either way. Clearing his throat, Dante got up from the chair and straightened out his jacket before marching out through the door…
XxxxX
Both stepped through, unaware of each other's presence, came across quite the scene unfolding before them. Before them was a grass filled clearing and many of their friends and compatriots fighting giant spider-like beings. It wasn't long till the two saw themselves doing the same, Elizabeth's dopple gaining the upper hand in her fight while Dante was in the heat of battle with presumably the leader. It wasn't until he made a miscalculated move till the spider disarmed him, causing the dopple to stumble and fall on the ground. The giant arachnid raised its front forelimb as it went for the killing blow, only for Elizabeth to intervene and chop off the limb. The limb fell to the side, narrowly avoiding Elizabeth, and she backed away. She didn't take her eyes off the spider as she did so, twirling her weapon in a show of dominance. As the spider fell to its knees, cringing in pain, Elizabeth chanced a glance at Dante, who was still lying on the ground but almost recovered.
"Dante! Are you-" she managed before she felt someone punch her in the back with so much force it made her head spin. The force made her stumble forward a little, but she still felt a strange sensation in her stomach. She tried to ignore it in favor of checking on Dante, but upon seeing his horrified expression she finally looked at herself. There was a large spider limb protruding from her stomach, which quickly vanished as she kept looking at it. She crumpled to the ground, in shock and immense pain, and her weapon fell out of her hands as the side of her face connected with the ground. She thought she heard someone scream, but it sounded far away and she had no idea who it could have been. She thought it might have been from her, but had she had the mental capacity to do so she would have recognized the scream as coming from her companion. She saw boots running towards her, then jumping over her, and then she heard more screaming, until finally she heard the death cries of whatever they had been fighting. Moments later, Dante's face was filling her fading vision.
She tried to speak, but her mouth was already filled with the taste of copper. She tried to spit out the accumulated blood enough for her to get a word out, but Dante shushed her before she could.
"The stars. They're beautiful." She got out weakly, her eyes beginning to look distant.
"Elizabeth, be strong now. You need to hold on, do you hear me? We've got things to do, you and me. We can still go anywhere. Everywhere. Your choice."
She weakly nodded her head, a small smile forming in the corner of her mouth. She tried to speak, but winced as she coughed up more blood. After a few moments, she was able to murmur a soft, "That sounds good..."
"You're my partner, and we've been at it for so long," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her bloody cheek. He tried to smile reassuringly for her sake, but it was hard, and he knew that she could see right through it anyway. "You've been so great. You've been more than great. You've been amazing. You hear me? Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth had stopped smiling, that simple act now taking up more energy than she could give. Her eyes slowly closed as her breathing ceased, the warmth in her cheeks quickly fading and the color of her skin paling as she went slack in Dante's arms.
Only a minute had passed until Dante, his face hidden in shadow, had picked up his now deceased partner as he carried her into the TARDIS.
What were only moments felt like hours as the real duo as they'd taken in the scene they'd just witnessed. Elizabeth was beside herself with what felt like a brief bout of insanity. These situations just kept getting worse and worse, and this one was the most horrible thing she had ever seen. Her worst fear had come true-she had died on an adventure, and Dante hadn't been able to save her. The exact reason why she eventually wanted to settle down, quit while she was ahead-so that this exact thing wouldn't happen, so that she wouldn't die a brutal and early death at the hands of the monster of the day. But in some future, it had happened, and Elizabeth already knew that Dante already blamed himself even if it hadn't been his fault. Somehow that was almost worse, knowing that he would beat himself up over it and probably get himself killed too in the process. It sickened her. She was just glad that this was her vision alone and that Dante wouldn't have to see it. Elizabeth could only imagine how far he would go without her, and having thought he caused her death. What he'd do...it was too much to hope that he'd mourn her and then move on with his life.
Dante in the meanwhile was covering his face with his hands, trying his damndest not to cry. He'd first hand witnessed one of, if not his worst, nightmare come to light. Elizabeth, dying in his arms, under his watch. He made a promise with Booker that she would always come home, she'd always stay safe no matter what. But the scene in front of him showed that that promise could one day be broken. He'd been truly foolish to think otherwise. Honestly, he should've just left her with her father and let them live a normal safe life. They'd been through enough as is with both Colombia and Rapture. He then remembered that first scene he had come across on this strange journey, where they had both retired and lived out a normal life. He didn't know for sure if he'd ever be content in that lifestyle, but it was a far better situation than the one he had just witnessed, and he'd take being bored over being guilt-ridden and alone any damn day. Knowing himself, he'd probably...
Y̶̖͕̪̱͊̔͋̀o̸͖͖͈͍͊̓̈́̓̌͜͠u̸͇͉͊'̵̼͔̀̀ŗ̵̼̹̥̠̌͆͐̂̅e̸͉̭̤͂͒̈́ ̵̼̥̔n̶̥̓̍́̏͠ȍ̷̖̪̦̦͠t̶̡̲̱̲̞̱̊ ̸̧͈̱̼͈̘͆̚d̶̡̮́́̏̃ô̵̗̹̩̺̯̓͑̄͒ņ̶̛̮͕̙͌̊̈́̑ȩ̷̢͎͇̄̓̌̾̾̾ ̸͔̘̜͒̈̄͂̊y̶͓̺̹̮͖̹̅͂̐̈ȩ̶̹̱̕t̷̼͍̩͚̺̀̍̀͝,̷̠̖̻͎̰͂̑̈́̐ ̵̧͕͖̫̀̈́ṯ̵̟̣͎͚͋̊̑̀͝i̴̛͉̺̘̻̘̎̕m̸̧̪͚͚̃̑̃ę̶̳͇́̂̓̔̓̈́l̷̢̙͙̘̐̀̂̋̐̋o̶̼̱̅͑̄̒͊͝ŗ̵̘̩̩̬̖̓͂̂d̸̗̜̦͈͗̔.̶̧̩̳̻̀͗͊ ̷̙̏͠Ţ̷̜̾̽̑̀̿̎h̴̻̝̲͝é̷̼̼͉̭ř̸̢̙̻͗̈́̚͝͠ȩ̷͓́̄̉͜'̴͖̮͉̰̔̇̃̕s̷̙̞̲̑̄̽́͠ ̴̠̱̗̑̉̍o̷͔̥̿ņ̵̛̲̓̈͆̈́̕é̷̬͎͙ ̵̨̯̭͗m̴̗̅̈́̑̓͠ô̶̤̈̉̇́r̶̼͖͑̄ẽ̴͕̖̮ ̶̙̇̒ṕ̷̭̓̔͘̕͝o̴̧̺̫̜̐̔͆̋̍͆ṡ̸̗̗̤̆̽̐s̷̡͚̙̦̪̔̆͋̔͑̄ȉ̶̱̦̲̥͙̬̓̇̊͑b̷̛̞̥̦̘̓͗̄̐͊ͅͅl̵̨̝̋͋̎̈ē̷͖͉ ̵̛̺̹̲͉̊̓͌f̴̢̜̝͔̏̆͜ų̵̨̯͍̳̀͑̓̌ť̷͍͘u̸̬͐̃̄ͅŕ̶͎̲e̶̡̪̤͚̓̂͝ ̶̣͓͓̪͓͓̽͘͝ḟ̸̫͇̭͑͜o̸̫̳͚̘͑͋͑r̸͉͇̞̗͑̈̚̕ ̶̨̀ÿ̸̢̠̿̐͒͝õ̸̡̗̙̹̗̪ù̶̧̉̓ ̵̟̟̭̤̽ẗ̴̲̜́̃̿ŏ̴̝̪ ̵̤̀w̵̮͍̙͚͆i̸̝̟̜͝t̴̡̞̂̿ņ̸̘̩̑̀̽̌̚e̵̢͚̺̪̳̾̀s̶̝̘̪̅ș̶͔͙̎̒͛̂́͂.̷͕̣͈̩̚͠
Dante's head shot up as he heard those words, the scene shifting in a black fade.
While he couldn't see her, Elizabeth witnessed the black fade as well but saw a door appear in front of her. As with all the others, she turned the handle, and faded into the bright light that erupted, her hands still shaking with the fresh memories of the horrors she had just witnessed. Only once she'd crossed the threshold she'd witness a new horror unfold in front of her.
Dante could tell he was on Galifrey, in all its glory with red skies, glistening mountains and monumental capital. Elizabeth saw before her multiple races and people gathered, seemingly to pay tribute. As she walked, Elizabeth felt her heart stop as she looked at the rows of stone angels lining the path. They were designed almost exactly like the statue of the angel of Columbia that had been her home for nineteen years, only the face of every single statue was also one she knew very well-her own. This Dante, after her death, or maybe as a consequence of something entirely unrelated, had erected statues of herself as the mascot of her homeland. She didn't know whether to be flattered or utterly horrified. She settled for the latter. The duo passed through the crowd, before both stopped dead at the end of the tributes.
Before them was none other than Dante, wearing a dark crimson robe, a damaged crest, holding a staff in his right hand and wielding a gauntlet over his Ultramatrix.
"Bow before the Time Lord Victorious!" He proclaimed, his face lined with determination and cruelty. "He whose rule has fixed a broken cosmos."
The duo were gobsmacked but then noticed what was off to the sides of Dante's throne. On his right was none other than the Doctor in a forcefield cell shaking their head all with a look of despair while looking at their former apprentice. On the left was a rack of skulls, ranging in size and shape, but on the top were two human looking skulls labeled "The Master" and "Rassilon" with a plaque above them saying "Those Who Defy Me". The real Dante felt himself become sick, wanting to throw up in utter disgust. He would never, in a million years, stoop this low to go the route not taken by the Doctor's tenth incarnation. How could he have done something like this, even if he had lost the love of his life? He never imagined himself the kind of man that would do this. Elizabeth would be horrified to learn that this was Dante's legacy after her, and so disappointed. He only hoped that someone would eventually stop his demented self's reign of madness.
"Who are you to decide what's good?!" A voice shouted out, gaining the duo's attention, as someone shoved their way near the front of the tributes. "Death to the cruel tyrant!" They raised a gun and as a beam of energy hit Dante as he toppled to the floor. Before either could see whether or not he'd live or regenerate, the scene faded in white as they'd returned back to the void they started in. The duo took in their surroundings before their eyes locked on to each other. For the most part, they were both speechless and had no idea what to say to each other. Still they walked over till they were within arms reach of each other, neither not sure how to start.
"Dante-" Elizabeth started, but at the same time Dante said, "Elizabeth-"
"Oh, sorry, you go-"
"No, no, it's alright, you can-"
"I just wanted to-hang on, let's start over."
"Yeah. Listen, Elizabeth-I'm sorry for what I said in our fight earlier. I was angry, and frustrated, but I shouldn't have taken out my feelings on you. I know you were scared and frustrated too and I should have realized that telling you to stop whatever it is that made you less nervous and then yelling at you only made it worse. I'm sorry."
"I-" she sighed, grabbing his hand and enjoying the immense sense of relief she got when his warm hand made contact with hers. "I'm sorry too. I know I said a bunch of things that were hurtful and that I didn't mean, and I shouldn't have said them at all. I don't believe any of what I said-I was angry and frustrated like you said and feeling insecure because I felt like you didn't trust me. I know everything you've done that I may have disagreed with was to protect me, and to your point I do tend to make rash decisions without thinking them through. I'm sorry too."
Dante said nothing in response, simply squeezing her hand and pulling her into a warm, safe embrace. In light of everything that had recently occurred, they had both almost forgotten about their fight earlier. It seemed like such a small thing compared to the horrors that had awaited them beyond the doors. Elizabeth didn't speak either, worried that if she did so it would ruin the fragile peace they had managed to attain.
They said nothing as they moved their lips to each other, but before they could lock, a voice called out, "Well isn't this touching?"
The duo turned to see two elder gentlemen just a few feet away from them.
The first, a man with a head full of thick white hair reminiscent of a certain cult leader from their past, sat with his back straight and a solemn expression on his face. Dante thought he looked slightly amused, the whisper of a smile on his thinned lips. His white beard was full but neatly trimmed. He wore a crisp, clean suit with matching loafers and a cream colored hat that drastically clashed with the almost blinding white of his suit and shoes. The only thing of color on his person was a blood red carnation, pressed neatly against the left lapel of his suit. His left hand rested on top of his crossed legs while the other held a glass of what looked to be wine, but knowing who he really was it could be anything else.
The other man was the first's polar opposite in every way. His face automatically put Dante on edge-where the other man's expression was solemn, his could definitely be classified as malicious. He wore a proud sneer that he did not bother to hide as he looked upon the hybrid, adjusting the cuffs of his black sleeves. His outfit was pitch black, blacker than any black Dante had ever seen, right down to his loafers and hat, which unlike the other man actually matched the rest of his suit. He too wore a red carnation pressed against the side of his lapel, although his was on the right side. His hands clutched the armrests of his chair so hard that his knuckles were white. The biggest difference Dante noticed was their respective attitudes. While the black one looked like he was about to rain down holy hellfire on the pair of them, the white one looked like he could care less.
"Of course it had to be you two." Dante scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well who else were you expecting, the Toymaker and his silly games?" The white clad man placed his drink down, having the audacity to look somewhat disappointed at Dante's apparent lack of critical thinking skills. "Still, I'm glad you two managed to pull through in the end. Would've been a shame if you didn't."
"Would've been best if it did." The black cladded man spat, looking at his white counterpart in anger. "I could've finally gotten an edge in all this."
"Constantly you forget, and constantly I remind you, there can be no darkness without light."
"Excuse me," Elizabeth raised a finger, clearly irritated, which instantly annoyed both guardians. "But I have some questions. Mainly-who are you? How do you-" her finger now pointed accusingly at Dante- "know them? And what do you want from us?"
"Right. May I introduce the White and Black Guardians. To put it plainly, they're beings of chaos and order who constantly try one upping the other, though that's mostly him." He pointed at the Black Guardian whose expression twisted into an ugly sneer.
"Save your breath hybrid before I take it from you." The chaos entity threatened, raising a fist at Dante.
"Now, now, no harm will come to them seeing as you've lost this little game of ours." The entity of order chided as he wagged a finger. The Black Guardian lowered his fist hesitantly, shoving it firmly into his pocket.
"I'm sorry, did you say game?" Elizabeth asked, her face scrunched up in a frown.
The Black Guardian grinned. "Of course he did, child. Pulling your TARDIS from flight, the little vision quest you went through, all a little wager of ours. My bet was that you'd break things off with him or die trying to escape, while his was that you two would make amends. 'Love conquers all' so to speak." He spat those last words with great distaste. "Human nonsense is what I call it."
Elizabeth was too shocked to say anything at first-all of the pain and trauma that she had just gone through, just witnessed, seemingly for no reason at all? It was just a stupid game to them? So many different emotions rushed through her then, almost all of them negative, and she couldn't decide on just one to focus on at first. Eventually, fury won out, and without thinking, she attempted to open a tear to bring a tornado from Nebraska, focusing all of her attention onto it. In her whirlwind of emotion she had neglected to remember that the last time she had tried something like that, it had backfired immensely, and almost immediately she was knocked out, thrown backwards by the force of the tear snapping shut before she could open it.
Dante looked at the guardians, poisonous displeasure evident on his face, but both of them shrugged nonchalantly.
"She seemed to forget this was our realm. We do as we please here and allow or deny tears in the fabric of spacetime." The Black Guardian explained, a slight smug grin on his face.
"But be aware she isn't harmed. At least, not by our doing...do try to explain that one to her, would you?" The White Guardian reassured, the same nonchalant expression on his face. It infuriated him, but he was mostly used to it by now. "It was just the feedback that knocked her out and off her feet. Otherwise," he snapped his finger as the TARDIS appeared beside them. "You're free to go. Consider this a gift-I, at least, thank you for your cooperation." Here he pointedly looked at the Black Guardian, who said nothing, still staring ahead in obvious avoidance. "Though know I may call you for another favor one day."
"Yeah, yeah. Like I had a choice," Dante grumbled, picking up Elizabeth in a bridal carry and heading inside the TARDIS. He pointedly ignored the both of them as he left, not bothering to cast a final glance backwards as he kicked the door shut.
Upon entering the TARDIS once more, the first thing he noted was that the inside had been drastically upgraded. Brass railing lined either side of the first foot inside of the area, leading to a glass pathway underfoot that housed a few stepping stones. Upon actually walking along it however, he realized that the stones were merely for decoration. The flooring had been replaced with dark hardwood, automatically giving the place a calmer, cozier feel, and the new furniture only served to reinforce that idea. There was a corner couch around the new console, which had a wooden base that matched the floor complete with a stone ring around the bottom, and matching armchairs were situated by the nearby bookcase and around a coffee table on the other side of the room. There were rugs on the floors, although they didn't match the furniture or each other, but they looked alright-definitely soft-looking, and that was Dante's only requirement for a rug anyway. Identical wooden staircases were at the front of the room near the entrance, leading up to the second level, with counterparts on the other side of the room. The walls were now made of brick and the ceiling was a copper circle surrounded by a ring of billowing velvet. Circular lights had replaced the previously unsatisfactory lighting-admittedly Dante preferred the dark so the lights weren't used much anyway, but he had to admit that the warm hues of the amber lighting was quite ambient. He could get used to it.
He placed Elizabeth on the couch next to the console and made sure she was physically well before turning to inspect the console. After a brief inspection he was relieved to discover that all of the buttons were still where he remembered them, just with a new coat of paint so to speak. He was about to set a course for a new destination when he hesitated for a brief moment. Looking back, Elizabeth was still knocked out, and he suspected she would be for a while longer. She'd no doubt like to choose where they would go, but she was, well, kind of unconscious, and Dante was slightly worried that if they didn't leave now, the Guardians might change their minds and they never would. With a sigh, Dante set a course for Karn. Wasn't one of his favorite places admittedly, but it was much better than here, and with any luck they wouldn't be staying long anyway.
It wasn't but a few minutes into their flight that Elizabeth began to stir, holding a hand to her head to equal out the throbbing pain she was feeling. She opened her eyes to see Dante holding a cup of tea up for her.
Elizabeth smiled weakly before sitting up and taking the cup. She held it gingerly for a moment before bringing it to her lips. "Thanks."
Dante just smiled and nodded, sitting down on the couch next to her. "Hate to say it but trying to open a tear in the domain of Old Ones, not the smartest move."
"The—who?"
"Remind me to grab you an H.P. Lovecraft from the library next time you want a book on the go." He chuckled before he got up, leaning against the console with an amused smile as he crossed his arms. "So where to? You get to choose-I do kind of owe you."
"Hm…" she pretended to think about it, placing a manicured finger on her chin. "How about Greece? Modern day."
"Alright, modern day Greece it is." Dante began to plug in the coordinance, flipping the lever after a few pushed buttons. After a beat of silence, he began to speak. "Elizabeth-what happened back there, the visions that I saw-I was-"
"Let's not discuss it," she said, her voice carrying an uncharacteristically hard edge to it.
"But-
"Look, Dante," she sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "If you really want to, we can. But later. We just got out with our lives, I think we're owed a little time to relax and recover before ripping off that band aid again. I can't deal with any more emotion analysis at the moment. Can you?"
"No. I guess not."
The two sat in silence for a moment or two, the ambient sound of the TARDIS in flight the only thing that could be heard. That was until a loud gurgling sound was heard, causing Elizabeth to blush in embarrassment.
Dante tried to stifle a chuckle but failed miserably. "Fancy meal or just pig out?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "Considering we were stuck in a void for how long, Chinese food with a glass of wine sounds good right about now."
"Chinese food it is."
A/N: This very long one shot was inspired by The Edge of Destruction(TV), Four Doctors(comic), The Mind Robber(TV) and Scherzo(audio)
