Chapter 46

Homecoming

The large gash was deep and raw, but the soldier appeared cheerful as Elisabeth tended to his battle wound. Though the little field hospital was nothing more than a few sheets strung up over the assorted wounded that lay on the soft grass of the hill just outside the forest, it was homey enough, and after the ferocity of the conflict that had come before, it felt like a small slice of Heaven.

The fighting had officially ended several hours earlier, and the valley below was busy with the clean-up effort. As far as the future army members were concerned, it would still be some time before they were all rounded up and accounted for. It was difficult to know exactly how many had come through in the first place, and ascertaining the numbers of those who had been unexpectedly returned to Chicago in the process was similarly impossible. Even if one narrowed the criteria to include only those who had remained locked in the past at the conclusion of the battle, there was a very likely probability that some would never be found. Fleeing their comrades as soon as they began to realise their fight was lost, they had melted deeper into the jungle, either to thrive as nomads or to fall to nature's hand of retribution. Still others would come creeping back to the colony seeking refuge in the weeks or months to follow, preferring the warmth and safety of punishment to the nightmarish oblivion of the infested wilderness. And, in all honesty, who could blame them? By now, we have all witnessed time and time again the unforgiving savagery of

the Cretaceous' fangs.

As the soldier flinched slightly beneath her touch, Elisabeth paused her stitching, the needle hovering just above the skin.

"Sorry, almost done."

For a moment, Dunham didn't seem to hear her. But then he glanced up, shaking his head quickly before returning his shining eyes to the crest of the opposite hill.

"No, ma'am, it's not you. It's .."

Elisabeth's forehead creased in concentration.

"What then?"

Dunham hesitated, watching her face closely as he nodded across the field.

"Just when I thought I'd seen everything .."

His voice faded, the cryptic answer receiving no elaboration, much to Elisabeth's annoyance. Suppressing a surge of weary frustration, the doctor looked up, her frown deepening as she followed his gaze.

Then she froze, the forgotten needle slipping from her hand.

Over the grassy knoll beyond, a large, rickety cart was coming into view. It was pulled valiantly by a muscled Parasaur, and though its occupants appeared to be enduring a very bumpy ride, their expressions were joyful as they tumbled out a moment later, exiting almost before the cart came to a lurching stop.

On wobbly legs, a bedraggled man dismounted, steadying himself as he turned to help a smaller figure down, though the girl didn't appear to need much assistance, barely waiting for his hand before leaping eagerly onto the ground beside him.

While Elisabeth watched, the taller figure raised his head, his hair ruffled by the strong breeze that swept over the ridge. He didn't appear to notice the wind as his eyes flicked from left to right, scanning the former battlefield intently.

"Jim .."

The word was barely a whisper, but somehow, he seemed to hear it. His gaze immediately darted in her direction, then he too froze for a moment, a smile breaking out over his face as he patted the dark hair of the girl beside him. When she didn't follow his line of sight quickly enough, he grasped the top of her head and tilted it gently toward Elisabeth. Zoe glanced up at him with a slight frown of indignation, but then she noticed her mother and the small body turned to stone. The effect lasted only a moment. As several more figures began to unload themselves from the cart, Zoe took off like a shot, her solemn expression exploding into a grin as she raced through the tall grass, her father close behind her.

Elisabeth had barely managed to take five steps before dropping to her knees to accept the girl. With a strange little yelp, Zoe plunged into her mother's arms. It was impossible to tell who was clinging more firmly to the other. A somewhat winded Jim appeared a moment later and, without relinquishing her grip on her daughter, Elisabeth attempted to reach for him also, finding his hand and holding it tightly in her own as he knelt in the grass beside them.

With a strange laugh that broke halfway out of his throat, Jim added himself to the mix, his arms encircling both of his family members. Unable to speak, he buried his head shakily in Elisabeth's shoulder, refusing to raise it until the laughing protests of his imprisoned daughter grew too insistent to ignore. As he leaned back on his heels reluctantly, Zoe stared at him, examining his watery features with dismay, but as she watched, Elisabeth's hand reached out and cupped his wet cheek, her thumb brushing away a tear as she smiled into his eyes, nodding reassuringly.

"You did good."

From some distance away, an enraptured scream rang out as Maddy realised who had just entered the camp. Within minutes, the entire family had been obscured from view, surrounded by half the colony – or so it seemed. Even far from the gates themselves, the Terra Novan grapevine was still alive and active.

Some things would never change.

Dunham smiled a little as a fresh pair of hands took over at his shoulder. Hovering above him, Ogawa watched quietly as he brushed his own tears away.

"Sorry, I didn't bring any tissues, but you're welcome to use the gauze."

He choked out a laugh, then glanced up at her, his eyes glistening with a mixture of joy and defiance.

"Ah, let 'em see me cry. Today, I don't even care."

She patted his back, and though she said nothing, the gesture alone conveyed the sentiment that she agreed with him completely.

Once Harlon had been retrieved, escorted away somewhere to receive prompt medical attention, the remaining four unanimously decided to take their time. Almost as soon as the field hospital came into view, Malcolm had made it his mission to see that the Sixer survived the afternoon, and Zayne, unsure whether it was by choice or by abduction, had disappeared with them. Mira had been there one moment and had vanished without a trace the next, presumably to find her own daughter. Carter had taken the Parasaur in the opposite direction, and so now Lucas and Skye, Kensinge and Esteban were left to wander hesitantly toward the lively colony. The hubbub of activity welling up beyond them was almost overwhelming in its scope, and the closer they drew, the slower their steps became. Eventually, they stopped entirely, pausing to watch with somewhat wistful expressions as, seemingly everywhere they looked, families joyfully reunited.

With a nostalgic sigh, Kensinge rested her elbow on Lucas' shoulder.

"When did we get so old?"

Despite his darkening mood, her fellow physicist snorted.

"You're acting like we were separated at birth. We can't have known each other for more than 6 months, you know."

The blonde woman shrugged carelessly.

"It's been a long 6 months."

Lucas paused, then turned to study her, one eyebrow raised.

"That was a surprisingly normal response."

"What were you expecting, 'well, best friends are forever'?"

"From you .. anything."

They continued their trek into the camp, passing groups of people left and right, the hum of excited voices surrounding them like an invisible fog. Suddenly Kensinge's exuberant gaze snapped back to Lucas.

"Did you hear that guy just now?" She demanded, her eyes alarmingly wide inside her excited face. "Sounds like word on the street is that the fractures everywhere are shrinking."

Lucas' forehead creased thoughtfully.

"What could've caused that? You think the parasite-"

"But all the fractures? The entire time field?!" Kensinge cut him off. "Surely the worm couldn't have done all that so quickly."

Her companion barely seemed to notice the interruption.

"If it got into that dish at Base Zero, anything's possible. Seriously, where did you get that thing? How did you end up with it? Do you even know what it does?!"

"Course I do!" She countered heatedly. "But right now, I'm less concerned with that than what's happened to the Probe! We've gotta get back there and assess it."

"With any luck, it'll be shut down for good."

Kensinge turned to him in outrage, nearly tripping over a passing child in the process.

"How can you say that-"

"Easily enough." He responded smoothly. "That thing has been nothing but trouble from the moment you arrived."

"But you can't blame that on the Probe!"

"You know what, you're right. Maybe we should be having your head assessed instead."

"It can't help the fact that it's too powerful for its own good!"

"Maybe it's the result of prolonged exposure .."

"To .." Kensinge's voice faded as she frowned up into her colleague's face. "To what, me or the Probe?"

"The .." Lucas hesitated, turning to blink at her in bewilderment. ".. what?"

Behind them, their two anchors exchanged a glance. Then, as the physicists shrugged and continued their disjointed conversation, Esteban leaned down, his murmured words drawing a laughing look from Skye.

"The 'separated at birth' theory is getting more believable by the minute."

The male half of the Shannon family paused for breath as they mounted the hill. Below them, the crumbled ruins of the colony were finally coming into view, the blackened fields forming a giant target in the centre. The former residents had been travelling along in the manner of a migrant caravan, some racing joyfully ahead while others lagged behind, progressing at a much slower pace as they assisted the wounded. Jim and Josh had spent much of the morning with the rest of the family, helping Elisabeth with her patients, but now they had been given permission to go on ahead, eager to witness the grim state of their home with their own eyes. The one condition had been that they take the "baby", after which they were shooed unceremoniously away. Secretly, they suspected their absence was rather more appreciated than their female family members allowed themselves to let on.

The two Shannon men stood side by side now, silent as they gazed down upon the remains of Terra Nova. Jim was grateful for the distraction the squirming child in his arms offered. If he'd been forced to witness the harrowing sight alone, he might have broken down entirely. Blinking purposefully, he pulled his eyes away from the colony, desperately searching for a new figure to focus his attention on. His unspoken prayers were answered before he realised he'd offered them. A short distance away, Lucas was sitting beneath a tree, his back to the approaching procession. He must have arrived some time earlier.

After a moment's hesitation, Jim turned, patting his oldest son on the back.

"Hey .. give me a minute?"

The slightest shadow of a frown flickered in Josh's eyes as he followed his father's gaze, but then whatever protests he was preparing to make abruptly fizzled out, and he nodded. There was a sympathetic note in his expression as he turned back to Jim, reaching across and taking the protesting Vaughn without a word. It was with a jolt of surprise that he found himself suddenly wrapped in his father's tight embrace as Jim pulled them both close.

"I'm proud of you, you know."

"Yeah, I know." The young doctor grinned briefly, then reshuffled his grip on Vaughn as the boy stretched his arms out for Jim again. "Vaughnie! Wanna go see Boylan? Yeah? Wanna see if he's collapsed yet? He was lookin' pretty red. If we hurry, we might just be able to see him roll right down the hill! Doesn't that sound fun? Sounds pretty fun to me. Dad'll be sorry he missed it!"

Despite himself, Jim barked out a laugh.

"Do me a favour, alright? If Boylan does start to fall-"

"I know, I know, we'll catch him, I promise."

"I was going to say, get out of the way." His father retorted wryly. "I don't want you to have survived all this only to end up with broken bones at the end of it. Don't worry about Boylan, he'll be fine. He's well insulated."

"I'm gonna tell him you said that."

"Don't-"

But Josh was already wandering off, cheerfully whistling a disjointed tune as he headed toward the cart where Boylan and Tasha were keeping charge of Inky. Jim watched them go with a smile. The Ovosaur was enjoying the ride, but hated his bandages with a vengeance. The white wrappings stood out starkly against his black feathers, and he required constant supervision to prevent him from flying into a rage and ripping his dressings to shreds. Tasha's soothing voice seemed to be keeping him calm enough, but there was a hint of craziness in his beady eyes that threatened to boil over if he wasn't visited at least four times an hour. Apparently the Ovosaur was under the impression that the rest of the colony revolved around him. Josh and Boylan considered it in everyone's best interests to maintain the illusion.

Lucas didn't turn around as he heard the footsteps approaching. Nor did he look up as his father's successor leaned on the tree beside him, arms folded. Jim didn't seem to be in any hurry to initiate conversation either. For several moments, the two simply existed in each other's company, peering out over Terra Nova in silence. When the Commander finally spoke, it was with a deceptively casual voice that the physicist saw through immediately .. but appreciated nonetheless.

"Hey buddy. You alright?"

Lucas' gaze wandered through the tiny streets below.

"I didn't tell him."

"He knew."

The exiled prince of Terra Nova released a humourless laugh under his breath, his eyes flicking up to Jim's.

".. no. He didn't."

"Sure he did." The older man countered lightly. "Dads know these things. It's like .. Dad sense."

An odd noise rumbled from Lucas' throat, but then Jim's grin appeared above him, followed by an outstretched hand. After a sniff and a careless swipe at his face, the physicist grasped it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. Halfway through dusting himself off, however, he paused, glancing sideways in surprise as a racket arose from the nearby forest. Wordlessly, they watched as three large dogs roughhoused their way madly past and disappeared into the dense foliage beyond. With a raised eyebrow, Lucas pointed after them.

"That's gonna be a problem. Who knows what else came through with them."

Jim shook his head, waving a hand tiredly.

"One crisis at a time."

Keeping pace with the scattered crowd around them, they wandered down the gentle slope. For a while, Lucas said nothing, and the other man left him to his thoughts. Something seemed to be bothering him, but whatever it was, if Jim stuck around long enough, he felt sure that the physicist would be unable to resist the temptation to unburden himself sooner or later. He was right.

"It was my fault." Lucas muttered eventually, his eyes narrowing as he lifted them to the mountain that created the backdrop for the colony. "He died because of me. I should've remembered the interference and accounted for it. Why didn't I realise it earlier?!"

He kicked out miserably at a thick tree root that projected from the ground in front of him.

"It didn't even cross my mind, and yet I always account for every factor, every time. So why couldn't I do it when it really mattered? Why not this time?"

"You were under a lot of pressure." Jim replied, sounding so matter-of-fact that Lucas felt an unreasonable thrill of irritation. "We all were. You're only human, you know. You're not perfect."

He threw a sideways look at Terra Nova's former enemy number one.

"I know you have trouble believing it at times, and it certainly came as a surprise to the rest of us-"

Lucas glared at him, then smiled begrudgingly as Jim grinned.

"Don't blame yourself. That's the worst thing you can do. You helped save everyone, and in the end, he managed to save your life. The truth is, he wouldn't have had it any other way."

"Silly old man." Lucas muttered soberly as he flicked aside a large pebble with the toe of his boot. "Always did have a hero complex."

"No arguments here." A smile entered Jim's voice. "But that doesn't change the fact that he sacrificed himself to save us. You should be proud of him."

Lucas met his eyes.

"I am." He stared at the sky, which was still a strange mix of pink, yellow, and blue as it slowly recovered from the last few days of atmospheric terror. "I just wish he knew."

Jim followed his gaze upward. Behind them, a spontaneous cheer came from the top of the hill as the next set of pilgrims caught their first glimpse of the colony.

"He knows."

"Jim." Lucas said abruptly, looking back warily at the older man. He hesitated, wanting to ask the question, but still fearing the response. "Do you think he could have made it out?"

"Maybe. Your Dad has a more inhuman set of survival instincts than any other living person on the planet – this one or that one."

"He does, doesn't he?" Lucas smiled crookedly, shrugging a little. "Well, I don't suppose we'll ever know now."

Jim put an arm around the boy's shoulders. Despite everything, he found he could never think of him as anything but.

"We might."

They gazed out over the colony, their eyes resting solemnly on the remains of Taylor's former kingdom.

"Someday."

The colony renovation was well underway. Kensinge and Esteban stood near the gate, watching the busy little bees traipse happily about their hive. As Terra Nova remained dark and dangerously unprotected, a primeval night watch had been established for the time being, though many families had chosen to remain in the treetops until the fences were completely restored, coming down during the day to help with the rebuilding efforts and returning to the forts well before sunset.

Kensinge sighed a little, tearing her eyes away from the restless scene to focus instead on her second-in-command.

"So .. when are you going to demand your part of the deal?"

He looked down at her questioningly. After several seconds of grating silence, she was forced to elaborate. She did so with another impatient sigh.

"Well, you never betrayed me when most of the others did. You kept my confidences, you watched my back, and you were a loyal guard. Better than I could have hoped for, actually."

Esteban smiled a little.

"Are you trying to relieve me from my post?"

"I seem to remember that being the agreement."

"Then you're remembering wrong." He murmured, causing her to glance quickly back at him. He met her gaze thoughtfully. "I only asked that I be allowed to go where I wished and do what I wanted."

Kensinge's eyes peered into his, narrowing with suspicion.

"Then .."

"Let me come with you and we'll consider the deal complete."

She watched him blankly, a delighted grin slowly spreading across her face.

"You've gotten attached to me, haven't you? You old softie!" She thrust her elbow enthusiastically into his side, then pulled back, clearing her throat as she avoided his tolerant gaze. "I have to say, I would have been pretty sorry to see you go, but a deal's a deal after all."

"Don't worry about it anymore then. You've got me as long as you need me .."

"I didn't say I needed you-"

".. but we'll have to make a few changes from here on out."

She swung back to him sharply.

"Like what?!"

"I get a say in the running of things. No more orders. That was the other part of the deal, remember?"

She gritted her teeth.

"I remember."

"Good." Esteban smiled. "From here on out, we're partners. Equal in rank."

"Fine." She growled darkly, a wild array of blonde strands falling across her forehead as she gave the illusion of an angry cat. "Partners then."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it .." He reassured quietly, casting a sideways glance down at her. ".. Heather."

The use of her name had an effect that can only be likened to an electric shock. She jumped noticeably, turning to fly at him with a cry that was a mixture of fury and terror.

"Oh, no, you don't!"

Nearby, Jim watched the interaction with a bemused look, though the subdued man standing beside him didn't seem to share his good humour. The silence between them weighed more heavily upon the Commander with every second, until finally, he turned to Harlon with a sigh of resignation.

"You don't have to leave, you know. Just .. give it some time. I'm sure sooner or later, the others will come around."

The Sixer looked up to meet his gaze, but instead, his eyes locked with those of a woman across the square. He ducked his head sheepishly, scuffing his boot into the gravel.

"There are people here who'll never forgive me. And rightly so. I can't stay."

Jim glanced over his shoulder, his mouth curling wryly as he took note of his wife's warning expression.

"I did try to explain-"

"Don't apologise." Harlon smiled a little. "I understand why she distrusts me. I'm sure most people do. All the more reason for me to lay low for a while."

"But are you sure about this? I mean, going with Kensinge .."

"It's an odd choice, I admit." Harlon grinned. "I know this is going to sound strange, but after everything I saw in the future – and I know she put me there .."

He hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Despite everything, she's never once told me anything but the truth. And the truth's what I need right now, even from someone who has the potential to be an enemy. She's a straight shooter. I've just gotta make sure I don't ever put myself back on the receiving end."

Jim nodded slowly.

"Believe it or not, I think I get it."

"And I can't stay in Terra Nova. I've burned too many bridges here. Besides, for whatever reason, Zayne wants me to stay close by, and there's safety in numbers. This is the best choice for us right now. I'm sure of it."

"Well, you always did know your own mind, I can tell you that much." Jim's eyes scanned the nearby terrain, searching for some sign of the boy, but Zayne was nowhere to be found.

"To be honest, I'm glad he has you looking out for him." He admitted. "I wish I could do it myself .."

"But you have your hands full putting your own family back together." Harlon finished. "He needs a fresh start, a clean break. Some time away from prying eyes'll be good for him. He needs time to think, get his head straightened out."

"Sounds like someone's learned a few things recently."

Harlon's mouth curled at the corners.

"Yeah, well, no one ever really stops learning, do they?"

"Not if they're smart, they don't." Jim put a hand out. "If I can't change your mind, then I wish you luck. If only I could say it had been fun .."

Harlon took the offered handshake, his expression sinking into seriousness.

"Sorry again." He held the Commander's gaze. "For everything."

"If I were a more forgiving person, I'd be gracious and tell you that you'd probably made up for it." Jim paused for a moment. "So let's go with that."

Harlan smiled slightly, then nodded.

"Thanks."

"Making friends?"

Jim turned, raising an eyebrow as the blonde woman stopped beside him.

"You're back. The Probe?"

"Burnt to a cindery crisp." Kensinge pronounced cheerfully. "Kind of fitting, don't you think? It used to have a stand in its honour, now it has an entire monument dedicated to its demise."

"Figures you'd look at it that way."

"I still don't see why you won't let me copy the plans." She protested, pouting a little. "Wouldn't it be safer if we had two versions? That way, if something happened to yours .."

Jim scoffed.

"Safer isn't the word I'd use."

"Still .."

"Never happening."

"Very well, you're the Commander." She gave in reluctantly, narrowing her eyes in dissatisfaction as she watched Elisabeth over yonder. "Your wife doesn't seem to like me very much."

Lucas had wandered over at that moment and managed to catch this last statement. Now he stopped beside her, snorting inelegantly at her hurt expression.

"Can you blame her? I've cheated death with you, and even I don't like you very much."

She pinched her mouth shut, eyeing him tolerantly.

"That tongue's going to get you into trouble one of these days, Mr. Taylor. Mark my words .."

Lucas raised his chin a little.

"That's Dr. Taylor to you, if you don't mind."

"So it is- Hey!" Kensinge suddenly raised her voice, startling an irritated Lucas despite himself, and, more importantly, attracting the attention of the boy who had appeared around the corner of a crumbling house. Zayne had been wandering about aimlessly for most of the morning, head down and shoulders slumped while Skye and Zoe tried in vain to draw him out of his misery. Now he stopped short, eyeing Kensinge suspiciously as she pointed to a ragged backpack lying on the ground nearby.

"You." She commanded authoritatively. "Pick that up. You can carry it."

Esteban appeared beside them like a shadow, unable to resist a slight smile as Zayne wordlessly retrieved the pack and received a thumbs up from Kensinge.

"Attaboy. Don't drop it now."

"Always knew she was a mother at heart."

"More like a drill sergeant at heart."

"Does she have a heart?" Lucas frowned in mock confusion, and braced himself against the resulting punch from the indignant woman.

"Eyy." She chided grimly. "That's enough out of you for one day. Go play with the other children."

Her face spread into a grin as she watched him raise his hands and stride away obligingly toward the others. Zayne – now with backpack in tow – was listening quietly as Zoe told some animated story, sending Skye into shouts of laughter beside her. The little girl still had her moments of darkness, but they were rapidly growing shorter and shorter as she found herself held firmly within the protective arms of her family. Their love and care rarely left her, and the difference it was making was evident already. Jim only hoped that in time, the same transformation would take place within Zayne.

He turned back solemnly to Esteban and Kensinge.

"Thanks for taking him."

"He'll be fine." The physicist murmured in response to the unanswered question, watching the boy standing amid the small group. "A change of scenery is the best thing for him."

Jim chuckled weakly.

"He came from 2151 Chicago. Isn't this change of scenery enough?"

Kensinge returned a short laugh, but then shrugged.

"Ah, won't do him any harm to see some of the world. Might snap him out of that daze he seems to be lost in."

"I'm inclined to think you're right, or I wouldn't be letting him go anywhere." Jim retorted, causing Kensinge and Esteban to exchange a small smile.

"That much I can believe."

"Just .. keep a close eye on him, will you?"

Kensinge glanced up, studying him seriously.

"Think he'll try to get back through one of the fractures?"

Jim shrugged.

"Don't know. But it's what I'd do."

"Understood."

Kensinge glared abruptly at Harlon as he left Jim's other side, wandering over to join the strange little collection across the square. She huffed under her breath, watching with an eagle-like gaze as he threw an affectionate arm around Zayne.

"I still can't believe I'm letting that guy tag along."

Jim's mouth twitched.

"Give him a chance, alright? He's a good guy."

Kensinge grimaced.

"You're a good guy. Him .. I'm not so sure about."

"It's awkward for him at the colony right now. Plus, it'll be good for Zayne to have him around. Try and be nice to him."

"I'll do my best, for the kid's sake." She muttered in displeasure. "But so help me, if he tries anything, the future will be the furthest of his nightmares."

"I would expect nothing less."

A few moments later, Malcolm arrived, panting with the exertion of his morning's activities. He pulled up beside Jim in the spot that Harlon had recently vacated, shaking his head by way of apology.

"Sorry, sorry .. couldn't get away."

"About time." The Commander commented, receiving an uncongenial glare from the chief science officer. "What, they couldn't get by without you for five minutes?"

Malcolm straightened slowly, his hair spraying upward with an indignance surpassed only by his expression.

"I'll have you know that no one in this colony has one iota of common sense when it comes to-"

"Well, I guess this is it." Jim interrupted, earning another choice look from his head researcher. "The sun's getting hot already. Best not keep these people waiting all day."

He turned back to Kensinge and Esteban, extending his gaze to Zayne as the remainder of the group wandered over to join them.

"I won't embarrass you by giving a speech. Just .. take care of yourselves. You'll always have a home here if you decide the nomad lifestyle doesn't suit you." He paused, a smile playing on his lips. "And, as Taylor would say-"

"Nothin' like a bit of good hard livin' to put some hair on your chest."

Jim choked, his mouth dropping open as his gaze swung down to his youngest daughter. Before he could come up with a single word of reply, however, Lucas' lively voice added itself to Zoe's, followed closely by Skye's own gruff impersonation.

"After all, facin' down danger's what makes a boy into a man!"

"Now enough of this sentimental codswallop. Back in my day-"

"Alright, alright." Jim butted back in, laughing. "I was going to say, 'go forth and multiply'."

Malcolm scoffed loudly.

"Now that was a truly awful impression."

"Can you do any better?"

"No." The scientist chuckled abruptly, then hurriedly controlled his expression as he shook his head. "No, I cannot."

"Then let's farewell these people before they start running away instead."

"Very well." Malcolm nodded sagely. "I have to say, I've heard worse ideas."

Jim shot a laughing look at Lucas.

"I'm sure you have-"

"Most of which came from you, I might add."

"Thank you-"

"All in favour of never allowing Jim Shannon to have another brilliant idea, please raise your hand."

"Malcolm!"

It was only a minute or two later that they stood beneath the steadfast remains of the old gate and, haunted by a strange mixture of nostalgia and bemusement – in retrospect, what could be more appropriate – waved Kensinge's new little family off as they began their next journey. Then they turned their backs on goodbyes and set to work, throwing themselves into their rebuilding efforts, as all good colonies should.

It would be a great discredit to everyone involved if I were to say that the residents of Terra Nova were merely glad to have their leaders back. Indeed, they were over the moon, and in the weeks that followed, waves of joy frequently rippled throughout the colony at odd moments, causing smiles and laughter to spill out of all who found themselves in its path. The families of those who had seemingly risen from the dead were almost delirious with happiness, and it would take some time before they settled back down to earth once more. There were some, however, that demonstrated their delight in less public ways. When news of their return had begun to spread through camp, Sienna had raced to meet them, falling upon her mother with a depth of emotion she rarely displayed. In the days that followed, the quiet girl barely left Mira's side.

Jim would have loved to sink into anonymity, at least for a short while, but it was not to be. The responsibilities of his office were thrust once more upon his shoulders, but he bore the burden gratefully. When electricity was finally restored to the burnt-out colony, he oversaw the establishment of a new observation system. The future would always find new fractures. It would never stop trying to build armies to send through in order to control the past, right up until the day it would breathe its last breath. Indeed, the closer the old world got to death, the more desperate they would become, but with the new security system came better warning, the ability to detect when and where a new fracture opened. The impressive alarm would trigger three things to happen simultaneously – local power would be disabled, a squadron of trained Pteranodons would be released in case of possible attack from the air, and a security team would be dispatched at once to the area. When it worked correctly – which it did, more often than not, intruders would be apprehended well before they had an opportunity to do any real damage. It was the peak of Malcolm's and Lucas' combined genius .. at least for a few years. Perfectionists will never stop striving to outdo themselves.

Despite Jim's many achievements as Commander, however, coming home at the end of each day never ceased to be his greatest joy of all.

As for Reilly, the acting commander stepped back into her role of Lieutenant with no small sense of relief. Shortly thereafter, when Carter inevitably vanished from the colony like a shadow, she was the only one privileged enough to receive his goodbye.

And there's no overlooking Silas, that unwitting comedian who would doubtless consider himself the heart and soul of this entire story. Try though he might, Silas could never quite bring himself to fit in properly with either the army or the colony. Instead, he forged his own path, striking out with a couple of other adventurers on a mission to subjugate Snakehead Falls. The neighbourhood wasn't quiet for long. As a result of the venture's success, other settlements began popping up around the place. Before the main colony had begun to burst its seams, Terra Nova's offshoots had already started to spread far and wide.

Josh, aside from becoming a medical pillar of the community and his mother's right hand, turned into the very picture of domestication itself. Don't believe me? Ask his wife. Tasha's gentle nature was not without its firm side. While it was true that she had been blessed with the ability to help frail seedlings thrive as they reached for the sunlight, she also demonstrated an equally rare talent for cultivating the unruly ones.

What, then, can we say about Maddy and Mark? Well, they did precisely what you would expect. After all, I can think of no better candidates for receiving a happily ever after than those two .. can you?

All of which brings us to Lucas and Skye. The soldier and the physicist remained the best of friends – though, considering the complicated history between them, the term 'partners in crime' would perhaps have been more appropriate – regardless, they shared a connection that had endured everything that had been thrown at it throughout the course of its short existence, and as time went on, their bond only grew stronger. They were one of the market peoples' favourite subjects, and rumours about them abounded for many years. Naturally, as soon as they realised this, they took great delight in stoking the fire. Margery would have been shocked if she'd discovered that some of the most outrageous tales came from the mouths of the main characters themselves! Whether there was actually any truth to the stories, very few people really knew for certain ..

While we're reading out the roll of honourable names, we mustn't forget the Timekeeper. Have no fear, the ship that crashed in the sands of the Base Zero beach wasn't left as a playground for the scorpions. In the weeks that followed the triumph, the Timekeeper herself was retrieved, and later mounted on a monument near the centre of the colony, bearing witness to future generations of the events that transpired during the Collision War.

And Zoe? Well, after her little adventure, it was quite some time before she was allowed to stray far from anyone's line of sight. But as it turns out, Dr. Kensinge was right on one point. Zoe was important in the grand scheme of things. That tiny girl that was smuggled to the new world in a backpack would grow up to rise through the ranks of the security team and eventually become Commander of Terra Nova itself. Legend has it she was the only reason it survived the battle that was to come.

But that, as they say, is another story ..