A/N: So here's the one GhostHornet requested!
Eleanor sat completely still next to all the little sisters who had gathered around her. She sat like a ball, with her chin resting on her knees and her eyes gazing on the reflection of the lighthouse that was the entrance to a once great city. If only the ADAM hadn't made everyone go completely bonkers, maybe it would've continued being great.
But there is no reason to dwell on the past; she escaped her mother's clutches, albeit at the cost of her father's life. She looked down at her almost-dead father. He was still alive, but just barely. She would give her life to save her dearest father, but it would crave a miracle to get him out of this.
She buried her eyes in her knees and tears started falling. For the first time in her entire life, she was unsure of what was to become of her. She knew she would have to bring the little sisters to their respective homes and families, but Eleanor's family died with her father. Her biological mother was there of course, but she stopped being a real mother when she ordered her father to commit suicide.
"Are you okay?"
Of course the little sisters were worried for her, she mused that they must've grown fond of her because she saved them from their impending deaths. Eleanor refused to show any weakness in front of the little sisters, if they saw her cry, they would cry. She quickly wiped her tears off on the knee-plate that came with the Big Sister suit.
"I'm alright, thank you for worrying."
"It's sad, isn't it? To lose one's dear father like that?"
Eleanor froze completely. That voice did not belong to a little sister. It belonged to a female; a grown up female, but it was not her mother. Her mother's voice was rough and bossy, this one had a soft, caring voice, like a mother of a sort, and yet she sounded very young.
Eleanor turned her head to see a brown-haired, blue-eyed female wearing a dress that must've been beautiful once, but was now almost shredded to pieces. She stared for a couple of dull seconds before snapping out of her trance. How did whoever this is sneak up on her like that? She continued warily glaring at the woman, waiting for her to suddenly turn into some kind of monster, but such a thing never happened. She simply stood there and stared at the lighthouse like all the little sisters.
Suddenly she walked in front of Eleanor and got down on her knees to look at her father, Delta, who was still gasping for breath. Eleanor was about to push her away and scream that she should leave her father alone, but couldn't find the strength to do it. She watched and her eyes widened as the stranger pulled out a bag with a red cross on it (she figured it must be a medical pack) out of the thin air.
The stranger opened up Delta's suit and gasped when she saw the poor state Eleanor's father was in, he looked completely decimated. She took a deep breath and started patching up her wounds with a skill that rivaled anything Eleanor had ever seen.
"Booker, come over here and help me sit him up."
Suddenly another stranger, whom Eleanor named Booker due to what the other stranger had called him, walked over to the female and helped sit Delta up so the female could work more efficiently. Soon, all the blood was removed and the wounds had been cleaned and bandaged. Delta looked much more comfortable now, taking slow deep breaths instead of the quick and uneasy ones from before.
Eleanor looked at the two strangers, or rather just the female one, because the male stranger, Booker, had mysteriously vanished into the thin air 'If I hadn't grown up in Rapture, I might've found that creepy.' Eleanor thought to herself.
The stranger held out her hand and smiled at Eleanor.
"Excuse my manners, I'm Elizabeth."
Eleanor cautiously took her hand and shook it slowly.
"Eleanor. Can I ask… just who or what are you?"
"I'm Elizabeth, just like I said."
"No I mean… do I know you by any chance? How do you do that vanishing trick? Why're you helping us?"
"Yes, you do know me, but that is another story for another time, a magician does not reveal her vanishing tricks and I'm helping you because I can help you. Now, if it is alright with you, shall I see to it that these wonderful little girls each find their families and homes?"
Eleanor was completely dumbstruck, who was this woman? Who would just 'drop by' and help? She had promised each and every single of the little sisters that she would personally get them home, and she was not going to let this stranger take them away, even if she wasn't lying about trying to help. Eleanor simply could not afford trusting anyone anymore.
"Alright, but I have to come too. I can't just leave these little ones to a complete stranger."
"Understandable."
"But… what of my father? What shall we do with him? None of us are strong enough to carry him."
"Leave him here, we'll come back and pick him up once all the children are returned to their homes."
Eleanor stood up; all the little sisters walked over to Eleanor and kept their eyes on the stranger, Elizabeth. A flash of light ran across Eleanor's eyes and suddenly she found herself on an empty shore. Elizabeth, the little sisters and the one called Booker were right there with her. Booker walked over to Eleanor and extended his calloused hand.
"Booker DeWitt, nice to meet ya' miss."
She took his hand and shook it.
"Eleanor L-…"
She had just stopped herself from saying 'Eleanor Lamb', but using her mother's surname felt wrong. She would from now on consider herself as just 'Eleanor'. Wait, her mother! They had forgotten her.
"Elizabeth… we forgot my mo… we forgot Sophia Lamb."
"Oh don't worry, I sent her off to a place where she can be herself."
Eleanor decided not to think further about it, whatever Elizabeth had done to her mother, she probably deserved it.
"So… let's return these little girls to their homes, shall we?"
All the little sisters cheered, and clapped in joy.
Time was then spent returning all the little sisters to their families, a lot of tears were shed and all the parents were thankful. Almost all of the little girls were home, but there were two who hadn't gotten their chance at getting home yet. Eleanor and a little sister called Evelyn.
"Miss Elizabeth? My parents… they're dead… where am I going to go?"
Elizabeth looked with saddened eyes at Evelyn, she desperately wanted to take Evelyn in and start acting all motherly, but she knew she couldn't take a child with her and Booker, it just wouldn't go. Eleanor would probably know what to do with poor Evelyn.
Eleanor
Suddenly, Elizabeth had a thought.
"Evelyn, I know where you can live, but first we must bring Eleanor to her home."
Eleanor swiftly turned around on her heels with wide eyes, wondering where her home could be, since Rapture was nothing but a grave at the bottom of the ocean now.
Another flash of light crossed Eleanor's eyes and they found themselves at an old-looking, but big, wooden two-story house sitting by a reasonably big pond. It looked like so peaceful and ideal, like a place Eleanor could spend the rest of her life at.
"This was your father's mother's old house. We're in France, if you're wondering. Paris isn't too far away, and there's a small market where you can buy groceries and other things. I've also gotten a few French learning books and dictionaries. No one will notice if this place suddenly gets inhabited. Oh, and your father is in there as well, he's completely fine now."
Eleanor was suddenly close to tears. How did that happen? She wonders. She's definitely not the type that cries, she used to be the little girl that listened to what her mother always said (until recently, of course) and lately, she had been the fearless daughter of Rapture, who, with the help of her father, escaped the sea grave. Maybe it was because no one had shown her such kindness before? Her father had always been kind to her, but he couldn't speak so she had learnt to read his actions, but this woman was being kind with absolutely no reason to be kind, is that what's making Eleanor cry?
"Oh, and Evelyn, I believe we've found your house as well."
"Really?!"
Elizabeth pointed to the same house that Eleanor's grandmother had apparently owned.
"I'm sure Eleanor would be absolutely thrilled to have someone as enigmatic and wonderful as you with her."
Eleanor simply nodded
Later that day, Eleanor had taken to wandering around the house, careful to be silent because of her sleeping father, and looking at all the things that had belonged to her grandmother. She came across a frame holding a black and white picture that looked old. She could see an elderly looking woman smiling at the camera without a care in the world.
'She looks awfully familiar' Eleanor mused.
Eleanor pieced together that this must be her grandmother. She took the picture to a mirror so she could see herself, and she saw that she actually had inherited a lot of her looks from her grandmother. She put the picture back and noticed another picture, sitting so it was almost out of eyesight. She picked it up and gasped.
It was a black and white picture of the exact same Elizabeth that had been there, helping her earlier today. She put it next to the picture of her grandmother to compare. It was the same person. Eleanor was close to a heart attack after all the surprises she had today, but then she smiled at it and she knew why Elizabeth had been so kind to her.
In the sea of lighthouses, Booker and Elizabeth walked together side by side.
"So, what was that about?"
"You're really clueless, aren't you?"
"Hey, when I got the smartest woman in the world as my daughter, I am entitled to a bit of cluelessness."
Elizabeth playfully punched him on the shoulder and smiled at him.
"Ow. In all seriousness, who was that girl, Eleanor?"
"That was your great granddaughter, albeit in another reality."
Booker didn't seem surprised at all, he didn't even fake it. After all the surprises he has been getting as of late, the impossible suddenly seemed incredibly easy.
"Oh well, that solves parent problem number one, I guess."
"What problem is that?"
"Never getting grandchildren."
She punched him again before they opened yet another lighthouse.
A/N: I'm terribly, terribly sorry for avoiding Delta completely! I just found it would be too odd to write him at the moment, but fear not! For I shall return to this universe in a later chapter, when Eleanor and Delta are completely settled in, by then he should have a personality!