Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Prometheus or Alien Characters.

What is Wanting if One Cannot Feel?

A full month had gone into their space voyage and they still weren't any closer to their destination. But they had grown closer in...other aspects. They were now on a first name basis with each other. That was the first step. David had been teaching her the Engineers' ancient language and their hieroglyphics so she could explore the ship on her own. And each day she began to trust him more and more. They talked a lot. Sometimes for hours on end.

One week into their excursion was all it took before Elizabeth allowed him to offer her comfort. He'd found her in the chamber where the stasis pods were kept. She was on the ground hugging her knees and weeping. Her shoulders shaking with as she cried. With caution he started towards her, to see what was making her so distressed, "Elizabeth, are you alright?" then a monitor flickered. His eyes immediately drawn to the still image of Charlie Holloway. This instantly made him feel a twinge of regret in his readings. Just when he thought they were getting closer.

"It's not what you think." She said without moving from her place from the floor. "At least not all of it."

Confused, he looks back and forth between her and the image. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

With a sniff, she wipes her nose with her sleeve and got up to her feet. She walks back over to the monitor and types on the screen. "It's a video message that Charlie made for me the day he died. I found it on an external drive that was used to backup all of our data on the Prometheus." Her fingers swipe to the side and the video plays in a fast reverse motion. Once it stops, she presses 'play'.

The image goes into motion and Dr. Holloway can be seen pulling his finger away from the screen. He then settles back into his chair and clears his throat. David can already note the redness in his eyes and the paleness of his kin due to the side effects of the black goo.

"This is Dr. Charlie Holloway aboard the Prometheus on LV-223. The time is…" He checks his watch. "0600 hours eastern Earth time December 26th, 2093. Hey, Ellie." David catches the slight curl to Elizabeth's lips. "Hopefully you'll never have to see this. I'm making this video as more of a practice run than anything else. See, you and I have been through so much together. We've been all over the world. Now as of three years ago, even beyond the stars to pursue our discoveries. I would never have made it this far without you. And I'll always be grateful for that, but see...the problem is, and this is not your fault at all, last night got me remembering how I want to have kids of my own. That you and I would never have that." Dr. Holloway breath catches and he looks down. "After we go back to Earth we should go our separate ways. I'm sorry, baby. I love you so much. Just thinking about this breaks my heart. I want to grow old with you. But I want kids more." He wipes away at his tears and looks back at the camera. "We can't have that. But no matter what happens, Ellie, if you ever need anything I'll always be there for you. You mean too much to me. I hope you'll find someone who is stronger than me. Not as selfish. Someone who will remind you of your true potential." He chuckled. "Son of a bitch will be lucky to have you. He'll be a much better man for you than I ever was. Don't give up on love, Ellie. It'll find you where you least expect it. Thank you for everything." The video ends there.

Neither of them says anything at first. David just stands there and observes her. Waiting for any kind of response. He was unsure of what words were appropriate for this situation. Nervous that the incorrect choice of words could have a negative impact on her emotional trauma even further.

"I had no idea he felt this way." She finally said. He turned to her, waiting for her to continue. "All this time I thought we could get through just about anything. I guess I was wrong." She looked down, the tears coming back. "His final words to me were 'I love you'. Which he did. He loved me and I loved him. But it wasn't enough." Her knees buckled and she had to grab onto the console to keep her balance. "Even if he hadn't of died. Even if we never came here on this mission. I would have lost him either way."

David considered all of the possible responses that would deem appropriate. Each one seeming less convincing than the last. So he went with what he thought would suit it best. "From my observation, Dr. Holloway loved you as much as you loved him." Much to my envy. "That's why it was such a difficult decision for him. But he wanted more. Not just for himself, but for you as well." Very gently, he places his hand on her shoulder. "He probably felt if that the two of you would end things on amicable terms, then you could both move on before the differences destroyed your relationship. You once told me that your infertility had a strain on your relationship. He might have feared that if he decided to tell you too late, then neither of you would be happy."

She flickers her gaze from her hands to his face. "You think it's possible?"

He nodded. "Based on my observations of Dr. Holloway, he did care for you deeply. And from the evidence of this video, it would appear that he loved you enough to let you go. He'd rather let you find happiness with someone else than grow to hate you."

"It's not fair!" She sobs and wraps her arms around his waist, crying into his chest.

He is at first unsure how to respond. Then his database configures how to provide the proper comfort. He wraps his arms around her small form and pulls her closer. Then he dares to rest his chin on top of her hair. The feeling...is pleasant, he decides. She fits well against him. "I think I understand Dr. Holloway a little more now." He muses. "I too feared that you would forever hate me for my past misgivings." Her hair smells like lavender. Lovely. "But you've given me the opportunity to start over. For that I am grateful."

"Everyone deserves a second chance." She said, muffled against his chest. "Even you, David. And despite everything, I don't hate you for it. I don't think I ever could now." She pulled away from his arms, no noticing his frown, and looks down at her left hand. David then notices a glimmer on one of her fingers. Charles Holloway's ring. "I need to let him go." Very slowly, she pulls the ring from her finger and sets it down next to the monitor. "He'd told me once that he wanted his body to be sent out into space after he died." She chortled in remembrance. "To be closer to our creators. But then...do you think there's a way we could send it out there? This is all that's left of him and I didn't get to give him a proper burial."

He nodded. "There's a part of the ship where waste is ejected. We could place it there. Send it off."

"It's the least I can do for him." Her words were spoken with a deep longing as she traced the ring with her finger. "And I need to move on. If I'm going to survive this, then I need to let go." She looks up at him. "I know you are not familiar with human emotions, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would assist me. To help give a sort of service and pay my respects. Not just Charlie, but also Janek and his crew. I know this is of little relevance to you, but if you would…"

Again, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I would be delighted to assist you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth held a civil service for everyone that died on LV-223. Even Mr. Weyland and Meredith Vickers. Giving a proper eulogy for each of them before sending Dr. Holloway's ring off into space. The moment it was released, David saw the instant release of tension in her shoulders. He could tell that she was finally able to forgive herself for what happened. Things got even better after that. She started opening up to him more. Talking to him often. They spent most of their time together.

At one point he'd drawn a small sketch of her. He got her attention and lifted it up to show her with a proud smile. Her eyes had widened and her cheeks blushed with flattery. This made her trust even him even more. She could see that she fascinated him, but she had no idea how much.

They studied the Engineers' technology to the extreme. Learning their history. Their way of life. Their travels. All of it fascinating. Some of them even linking back to Earth more than once.

"David, look here!" Elizabeth yelled, getting his attention one day. She points to one of the monitors. On it was an image of a what looked like an ancient city. "It's from the Indus Valley Civilization! And here!" A different image with the Foothills Mountain Complex. "There are more too. They have records of all of the ancient civilizations. Even the Mayans and the Derinkuyu!"

He leans in next to her as he read details. "It appears that the humans of these civilizations made had pleased their creators. They brought promise. Some of the Engineers even made themselves known to them and showed them even more ways to advance their way of life. It would explain the depictions that were found all over the world. Like humans, the Engineers had different "tribes" if you will. Each with the same yet different customs. One of their successful creations was a blend the DNA of engineer and other mammals. This is what brought on the appearance of mythical creatures and deities in human folklore. Take the Pagan Gods for instance." He pressed an image on the monitor and it enlarged, showing the picture of a tall man's body with the head of a falcon. "The God Horus of Egyptian mythology. Born from Isis, who was also a virgin. But was still impregnated by her husband Osiris after he was murdered by his brother Set."

"How could he impregnate her after he died?" Elizabeth mused. "He was torn to pieces."

David smiled with a hint of dark humor. "Yes, she kept a piece. The piece that would⎼"

"Nevermind!" She shook her head with a groan. "I get it!"

He turned back to the monitor and kept looking over the records. "The first Egyptian God was known as Atum. He himself was an Engineer. As were the Gods in from Rome and Greece. In their folklore, they were depicted as giants that would come down from Olympus. They came to earth often and mated with humans. Making demi-gods such as Heracles and Theseus. But their constant appearances starting making things complicated and decided it was best not to interfere too much."

"Unless they found other worthy civilizations." She deduced.

"Yes, however, they were most of the separate times on other parts of the world. The Engineers feared further corruption from the humans in more 'civilized' cultures." He continues to read as she scrolls down. "The Engineers knew that the human race was failing as an experiment. But there were few that reached the potential that they felt necessary. But with the rest of the humans weren't showing as much promise. So they took such civilizations from Earth to 'save' them."

"See, this is where it confuses me." She interrupted. "Many of these civilizations were thousands of years old. Each disappearing at a different point in time and having no relation to one another. I thought the point of the black goo was meant to kill us."

He nodded with confirmation. "Indeed it was. The humans were a failed experiment. They were poisoning the Earth's air, water, plant life and it's creature's for the profit of currency. Something the Engineers didn't believe in. They had no concept of money. Only survival and creation. Nor did they understand the conception destroying their own kind for land or genocide. The humans were wasting their gift. The Engineers would dispose of them once they were sure that there were no lingering potentials. Then they would send them off to other planets, each to a different one. So could advance in their technologies. Sometime later, they would have them mate with the Engineers, creating more morphing genetic material. This helped them in the long run to make more successful creations."

She sighs with regret. "I think I can understand a little better now on why they wanted to kill us. But It doesn't explain why they wanted to do it two thousand years ago."

David scrolled down a little further and pointed at the date. "See here? The year 3BC. That was a year before the son of your God Jesus Christ was born, wasn't it?" A woman of her faith knew her ideology from front to back.

Her brow furrows but she nods. "Yes."

"This says here that an Engineer came to Earth and impregnated your Virgin Mary. He merely touched his finger, covered with the creative human DNA formula, to her bare abdomen. Thus she became pregnant with the Messiah. Without ever having the necessary act of intercourse with a male. The last chance for the human race. When the Jews crucified him, a seed implanted by the creators themselves, they found their answer. The human race had failed. Here, this is the last log that they made. It talks about what the hologram in the control room. They've landed on their base of Lv-223. Here's where they make the black goo. It makes an estimate of when they will depart.

Hmmm….it's seems that's all."

"Too bad." She mused. "Perhaps if things didn't go so wrong when we woke the Engineer, we might have been able to show them our potential. How far we've come."

He nodded. "Indeed. If Mr. Weyland hadn't been so hasty with his questions, it's quite possible the Engineer could have reconsidered. Then again, maybe not."

"Maybe we can still convince them." She said. "I mean...it's possible."

"Of course. Anything is."