Booker awoke, breathing hard and jumping up from his deep sleep. He touched his forehead, his heart beating against his chest. His hair clung to his head, sweat beading against his forehead. The dream was so real. He looked down at his hands, remembering the feeling of Elizabeth's small hands being intertwined with his. Cursing under his breath, he tried to fight back the feelings that flooded his mind. He tried to fight back the tears that begged to come. He tried to forget her smile. But he knew it was useless.
"I love you, Elizabeth," He breathed. The words that he couldn't utter were still strained on his lips. He wished he would've told her. His love for her wasn't a typical love. He loved her unconditionally, like she was his daughter. He couldn't describe this feeling, but it was a love that had always been there. He was just too blind to see it. He stood up from the cott, groaning. The uncomfortable bed made his body sore, and gave him more pain that he had went ot sleep with. But he didn't care. The dream he had gave him a happier feeling than when he went to bed. He wondered if Elizabeth had the same dream, or it was just his mind playing what he knew of her. He shrugged it off, sliding on his boots.
The guard slammed on the cell later that day, telling him it was time to hit the showers. Booker nodded, turning around so the guard can handcuff him. The cell doors opened, and the guard pulled him along. They walked out of the jail room, towards the showers. The jail was small and had only a few people in each side. Booker was the only one who was put into a special holding cell to keep him away from the others. Once they were at the showers, the guard ordered him to be quick.
"Don't linger, DeWitt. Your trial is in half an hour." The man nodded, waiting for the guard to leave. When he didn't, Booker just chuckled. "I have orders to keep you in my sights at all times," The guard said, unmoving by the door. Booker shrugged, folding his arms across his chest. "I ain't got anything to be ashamed of. Unlike you." The guard narrowed his eyes. "Just shower before I change my mind," He growled. Booker chuckled, nodding towards the guard. The shower relaxed his tense muscles, alleviating the pain throughout his body. The guard stood watch by the door, his body twitching.
Booker approached the guard, fixing his vest. "Enjoy the show?" He asked with a smirk. The guard slammed the cuffs around his wrists again, shoving him out the door. They walked half-way to the jail when the same man from the night before stopped them. "Good, you have him. Comstock has moved his trial to now. We have to get him there now," He said. The guard nodded, handing Booker over to him. The man grabbed him, shoving him down another long hallway.
They entered the court room, and several eyes turned. All of them held bitter stares towards the man in chains. Booker was pulled down to the front of the room, in front of a large stand where the judge would sit. He was then shoved into a chair, and the stranger stood beside him. "Do not speak unless spoken to. Mr. Comstock shall be arriving soon." Booker nodded, tapping his fingers on the table. The eyes bore into him like daggers. He could feel heat pulsating through his skull. He knew why they hated him, and he couldn't be mad at them for that.
Once Comstock had arrived, many of his men also arrived, and someone familiar trailed behind them. Booker jumped to his feet once he saw that familiar face. Elizabeth was being dragged into the court room, forced to stand on the other side of Comstock. Her eyes avoided everyone, but once she saw Booker the tears started to fall. She longed to be able to run into his arms. Booker stared at her, swallowing hard. There were so many things he still needed to say, but he had to stay quiet. The two of them felt miles apart, even though they were only a few feet.
Comstock eyed Booker with pride, his disgusting smirk penatrating his heart. Booker snarled, forcing himself to sit back down. "Good evening, Mr. DeWitt. I will be hearing your trial, and chosing what your punishment will be. You have an oppertunity to be spared, but that oppertunity is very small. I'd chose your words very carefully," He said. Booker nodded, swallowing his pride. Comstock was a rat, but Booker knew him fairly well. He knew that he was narcissistic and cruel. Booker didn't have a chance to live. He knew that from the beginning. He wanted to do this trial so he could show Booker what he was losing.
Elizabeth's blue eyes stared at him, tears falling down her soft cheeks. Booker didn't want to see her cry. It killed him that he couldn't help her. Couldn't hold her like he did in his dreams. Whispers were heard behind his back. The many people in the seats in the back were wishing him dead. He could feel their pain and their longing for revenge. Even though he hated this place and it's content, there were people here who didn't deserve to die. He had taken people's lives who had families and futures. Sighing deeply, he tried to forget about it for now. He would soon meet his faith.
Comstock shuffled some papers and cleared his throat. "You are being charged with countless murders of our many townspeople, and kidnapping of my daughter Elizabeth. You are also charged with the destruction of our city," He said, his voice carrying through the large room. Booker nodded, being forced to stand up by one of the guards. "Would you like to make a quick plead?" He asked. Booker wouldn't plead to anyone, not even for his life. He just took in a deep breath, and spoke. "I'd like to appologize for the pain I caused some people," He said, softly. Comstock nodded, turning to one of his policemen behind him.
"And is there anything else you'd like to appologize for?" Booker swallowed, shaking his head. Comstock chuckled, turning to Elizabeth. "So you don't have any appologies for kidnapping my beloved lamb?" He asked. Booker snarled, but forced himself to not do anything stupid. Elizabeth shook her head frantically, her eyes staring into his. "She came with me. It wasn't kidnapping if it was under her own free will," I said. Elizabeth nodded, not afriad of Comstock. The man chuckled again, looking at Booker. "Mr. DeWitt, my daughter would not have come with you unless you threatened her."
"He didn't threaten me. I went with him on my own behalf."
Comstock turned to Elizabeth, his smile fading. Booker chuckled, his eyes looking into hers. She smiled, but her smile faded once Comstock raised his voice. "You will not speak against me child!" He screamed. Booker lurched forward as Comstock slapped her across her face. She gasped, her hand flying over her cheek. Comstock turned to Booker, smirking. "Your punishment is death by hanging. You're exicution will be tomorrow afternoon." Elizabeth screamed, jumping off of the stand. She ran to Booker, her hands flying around him. He stumbled back, but caught himself on the table. "No! You can't die!" She screamed, clinging to him.
Booker was unable to move or speak. She pleaded for him to stay alive, but there wasn't much he could do now. He was amazing at escaping these situations, but he didn't want to cause her anymore pain. "Booker! No!" She screamed as Comstock's guards pried her from him. Booker swallowed, feeling a lump in his throat. He couldn't speak, couldn't call out to her. He was stuck there like a stone. Elizabeth faught against the men, but was no match for the twelve of them. She was shoved out of the door. Murmurs through the many people in the room began to surface. Two guards grabbed Booker and pulled him towards the door.
"You will finally pay, Booker DeWitt!" Comstock called as the doors closed. Booker felt his body tense as he was pulled back to his cell. He could almost hear Elizabeth's screams deep in the back of his mind. He couldn't take it; seeing her like that. It was too much for him. The guards shoved him into his cell, locking it behid him. The man collapsed onto the cott, staring at the ground. His breathing was still forced and heavy. The ball in his throat choking him as he gasped for air. He invisioned Elizabeth's face as she pleaded for a life. She clumg to him like he was her lifeline. Booker tried to shake the image off, but it was too much.
The strange man from before came in almost an hour later. "You're lucky Comstock didn't kill you on the spot," He said. Booker snorted, still sitting on the cot. He hadn't moved from the spot. "The girl is very emotional towards you." Booker nodded, putting his face in hsi hands. The man approached the cell, staring down at Booker. "It's a pity she won't be herself anymore once you're gone and Comstock destroys her hopes and dreams." Booker sneered, looking up at the man. "Shut up!" He screamed. The man straightened his tie, clearing his throat.
"I appologize for offending you. I will come for you tomorrow for your exucution." He left the room, and eveerything was silent again. Booker breathed a heavy sigh, not being able to fight back the tears anymore. He cried softly, hiding his face in his hands. He had never cried this much before in his entire life, but he just couldn't handle the sight of her. Elizabeth was weak and tired. She begged for him to stay with her, hoping that her tears would change things. Crying never solved anything, and unfortunately everone knew this. But that doesn't stop anyone from wanting to.
Booker lifted his head, grining his teeth together. "Damn you, Comstock," He mumbled. He took off his boots, throwing them at the wall. The guard by the door said nothing, only watched him. Booker laid on the cott, wishing he could escape this place. He just wanted to be able to bust through like he always did, rescue Elizabeth, and they could be happy together. But that isn't how life work's. Life is cruel and unjust. The good guys never win. But was he really a good guy? Everyday he felt himself becoming the bad guy every day. But he knew that he was a better man than Comstock. At least he felt remorse for his wrong doing's. At least Booker cared about someone. Comstock didn't care about anyone but himself.
Booker sighed, letting out a scream. The guard silenced him, but Booker just sneered. When did he start giving in to what other people told him? When did he let other's tell him what to do? Booker didn't understand anything that was going on here, but at least he still had his respect. He still longed for a better life for someone other than himself. He wasn't selfish for one god damn day in his life. His sorry excuses weren't there any longer. He was now thinking of someone else's feelings. Even though it killed him inside, at least he was a different person. There wasn't anything that would make him decide anything else. At this point, he would rather die for Elizabeth than get her killed. She was a strong girl. She'd find her way.
His eyes were heavy, and before long he had fallen asleep. He didn't even hear the door to the room open. The guard had fallen asleep as well on the job, but someone else had something to do with that. A sleep dart penetrated his neck, and he leaned against the wall, snoring. Soft footsteps were heard, and a small voice called out to the man in the cell. "Booker! Wake up!" The large man stirred, slowly sitting up. He blinking through the darkness, looking up at the thin figure. The light turned on above them, and his eyes widened. "Elizabeth?" He jumped up, walking to the cell. The young girl smiled, opening the cell door. She walked inside, looking up at him. "Hello," She said. He didn't take another moment. He picked up her small body, squeezing her tight against him.
She laughed, hugging him back. The two stood there for minutes, embracing each other. Finally, Booker pulled back to stare at her face. "How did you get here?" He asked. "I found some tranquilizer darts and decided to use them to find my way here to you. I needed to see you. I needed to tell you that you still have time. We can escape now, go get the airship and go to New York!" Booker smiled, shaking his head. "I can't. Elizabeth, you're better off without me." The young girl shook her head, pleading with him. "No, Booker, I won't be! I need you! Comstock will turn me into a slave without you! Please, don't leave me!" She clung to him again, sobbing into his chest. Booker sighed, trying to fight back his own tears.
"Elizabeth, I can't. I'm sorry."
She punched his chest repeatedly. "Where's the Booker I met weeks ago? Where's the Booker that would kill everyone in sight just to get what he wanted?" Booker grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "And look where that got me! Elizabeth, you're a strong girl. You can fight your own battles. I ain't someone you should be involved with. I ain't gonna let you do somethin' you'll regret. If we leave now, we'll never get away. They'll always find a way to get to you," He said. She shook her head. "We have to take the chance. Booker, I'm nothing without you!" He sighed, wishing he could take her pain away. There wasn't anything he wouldn't give to do what she wanted, but he couldn't.
He grabbed her shoulders again, this time less forceful. He looked into her eyes. It was like he was looking into a complete opposite of himself. She was someone he would never forget. A version of himself that he only wished he could've been. Elizabeth was a strong girl, but she didn't deserve any of this. "Elizabeth, I can't tell you what to do. All I can do is keep you safe until I can't anymore. I ain't lettin' a damn thing hurt you, but I gotta let you go. You gotta let me go. I'm doing this because I love you, Elizabeth." His words stunned her. Her blue eyes widened with shock. "Y-Y-You..." She whispered, tears rushing to her eyes, "You love me?"
Booker sighed, looking down at the floor. When he looked back at her, she was smiling through tears. "I love you too." She hugged him, her tiny arms linking around his neck. Booker smiled, rubbing her back gently. He sat back on the cott with her in his lap, the two not talking for a long time. Elizabeth finally broke free from the hug, whipping away tears from her eyes. "Thank you," She said, "You were my only friend. You showed me a lot of things, but I wouldn't change our little adventures for the world." He smiled, moving strands of hair from her face. She looked beautiful under the light of the moon. "Why do I feel like we've been together recently?" She asked. Booker shrugged, deciding not to tell her about his odd dream.
"You probably just missed me too much." She giggled, nodding her head. Her hand grabbed his, squeezing it tightly. "I really will miss you," She said. He nodded, kissing her cheek. "I'll miss you too." She layed her head on his shoulder, breathing a heavy sigh. They stayed together until morning light shined through the window. Elizabeth laid down beside him on the small cott, her head on his chest. Booker ran a hand through her hair, looking up at the cieling. "You need to go," He said to her. She nodded, but didn't want to move. Booker chuckled, hugging her one last time. She stood up, looking up at him. "Goodbye, Booker." He nodded, kissing her forehead. She left the room, slowly shutting the door.