Chrono Trigger: Twins of Destiny Chapter 25
Destiny's Twins
By Mox Jet
The High Conference room on the Weatherlight was a well equipped affair. Taking a drastic departure from the stark white walls of the hallways, this room was paneled with deep hued wood, accented by the rich blue tones in the area rug in the center of the room. Plush leather chairs surrounded a dark mahogany table that was had a few lap top computers set out on it.
Everyone had been brought here to meet with Jack. They had been given fresh, clean clothes and the opportunity to shower; one which they all appreciated. A servo-droid brought wheeled in some aromatic coffee held in a silver carafe along with cups, cream, sugar and spoons. Not everyone enjoyed the drink, but Jack, considering it one of man’s few perfect discoveries, figured that all should be offered some. Some sipped their coffee slowly while Jack explained everything to them.
He started from the very beginning: on Elosia. He chronicled his trip with Sarah and the others through time in an effort to save their planet from Lavos, always with the theme of it being his Destiny. He told them of Magus and of Schala and of Zeal, his mother. He told them of the Fall of the magic kingdom, about his separation from his friends and about his final descent into the pit of the Lavoid. He told them of the beginning of time, of the origins of the Lavoids and of the origins of the Planeswalkers. He told them everything he could tell them of incidents prior to his coming to Celes, pausing to answer the occasional question and once to run out of the room an attend to some matters pertaining to the bridge. All said, it took him about three hours to fully recount the entire tale, finally ending with his ship pulling into the orbit of Celes, ready to attempt to explain what had happened to them as best he could. He looked to Teclis first.
“Did Darius tell you anything?” he asked him. The blue haired youth nodded.
“He explained what a Son of Geminus was,” Teclis told him. “That I was…a Planeswalker and that he needed me and my brother to achieve ‘something great.’ He didn’t tell me much more than that, though.”
“Hmm…that’ll make things easier,” Jack said, nodding and taking another sip of his coffee. “See, the whole Planeswalker thing is a bit of a mind blow. I was glad I didn’t have to put that into words for either of you. That was luckily Tristan’s job.”
“How’s he doing, by the way?” Lina asked.
“He’ll be fine, actually,” Jack said. “Our machines here are pretty advanced. He’ll have to wear a sling for a while. Darius fucked up his arm pretty badly, but other than that, he’ll be fully rehabilitated in a few weeks. I feel bad, making him my errand boy.”
“So what exactly happened with him?” Tyrion asked. “What happened when you got to Celes?” Jack grinned.
“I sent Tristan down to try and find you two boys,” he said. “But, more importantly, I needed to buy myself more time. You see, Geminus was a Class B, which is stronger than any Lavoid I’ve taken down before. The spell that I used –the Lavoid Slave- was one that I hadn’t ever cast it before. I was in the final stages of its development when we came to this planet, but I need to finish it first because I knew I’d have to face Geminus if I was going to save your lives.
“See, a Planeswalker can’t beat its parent Lavoid in combat. The parent can exude a will over the child that breaks down the child’s ability to control his own actions. It’s why I wouldn’t have been able to kill Lavos in single combat. It was only by a chance scenario that there were humans on my home planet that were strong enough to kill him. That’s how I was ‘freed’ from his will. In your case, if you were to be freed, I would need to kill Geminus, and I needed that spell to do it.”
“And you needed to free us,” Tyrion said.
“It’s your fate to join me, I believe,” Jack said. “That’s why I found you in the first place.”
“How did you trick Geminus?” Teclis asked. “How did you blackmail him?”
“Well, as Darius explained to you, Geminus was mutated, and before he absorbed Darius DNA back into his code, his Lavoid Factor was heavily damaged.”
“Was it really the Crystain that did it?” Alaria asked. Jack put on a confused face.
“Now, you see, that I don’t understand,” Jack said. “Because there’s no way that it was the Crystain that mutated his code. True, the substance seems to be awesome for taking on Lavoids, but its certainly not capable of mutating their DNA. I think that what happened here was some kind of Temporal Backlash and that’s what altered his genome. What the backlash was of…I have no idea. It does explain why Sarah had a hard time reading the timestreams here, though.”
“You think something that happened at a different point in time was hurting him?” Grev asked.
“Or something that hasn’t happened yet,” Jack pointed out. “We might never know that. Regardless, Geminus appeared to be just as clueless as I was to the reason for his weakening. I took the existence of Crystain to my advantage, though. See, I recognized the Nisai Ryu immediately, remembering what I had learned about them from the records of Lucia. I spoke with Grand Master Hrata shortly before you two arrived at his monastery, actually.” He indicated Alaria and Teclis.
“And?” Alaria asked.
“I told him to give you the blade. He explained what Crystain was to me and I told him that Alaria should have that weapon. Then, taking my newfound knowledge of the stuff, I proceeded to offer Geminus an explanation for his mutation. I told him that if he didn’t comply, I’d collapse his cavern, essentially saturating him with the stuff, as it was true that Crystain surrounded his dwelling place. From there, I got him to inform me of what Darius was up to and when he was up to it, which is how I knew where to be at the right time.”
“Darius was using Lyons and Griever to find us, too,” Tyrion said. “He utilized everything that he had put into place in order to hunt us down.”
“I wasn’t about to be beaten,” Jack said, shaking his head. “Not after I’ve been looking for you two for so long.”
“Looking for us?” Teclis asked. Jack nodded.
“Ever since I found out about what I was, I’ve always sought after more of my kind. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone. The connection that we seem to share…when I found that, I suddenly wasn’t alone anymore. When my story began, I was just as confused as you probably all are right now. Finding you two was almost like a validation of my own existence. That was not something I was going to lose…”
“Something I’ve wondered, though,” Grev said.
“What?” Jack asked.
“Why didn’t you try to get Darius to join you as well?” Jack put a hand to his chin.
“I was going to, at first, actually,” Jack said. “Until I found out that he wasn’t exactly in his right mind. I knew that in his state, that would have been a near unattainable goal. Also, he was working with the Lavoid, and when I found that, I realized I’d probably need to fight him. The fact that he nearly killed Tristan and was going to help kill you two…no matter what someone’s genetic code is, I don’t need those kind of people working with me,” he finished.
“How did you find out, yourself?” Lina asked “That you were…what you are, that is.”
“A Farilii told me,” Jack said. “Right before I Dragon Slaved his ass, actually. The rest came from when I melded minds with Lavos.”
“Melded minds?” Tyrion asked.
“It’s like…” Jack took a moment to consider the words. “It’s almost like that connection that was there when I ‘ported into the room today. You didn’t know who I was but in some other sense, you did. I think there’s a certain connection between Planeswalkers of like minds. Similarly, a connection can exist between the parent Lavoid and child. It’s almost like…I can show you thinks by utilizing that connection. Lavos showed me things in this same method.”
“We’ll never see those things, then” Teclis said. “Because Geminus is dead.”
“But I’m still here,” Jack said. “And I’ll strive to show you what I can.”
“About what?” Tyrion asked.
“About the Lavoids. About…why they have to be destroyed.”
“And why you want us to help you?” Teclis asked.
“In your heart, you haven’t ruled it out, have you?” Jack asked, knowing the answer. He knew what they considered. He knew they hated the Lavoids just by what he knew he had felt.
“It’s almost like…I understand,” Tyrion said. “I can almost see what they’ve done through you, Jack.” Jack nodded.
“And likewise for me,” Teclis said. “Something in my gut is telling me that they need to be disposed of…but I can’t explain what it is.”
“Let me try and illuminate it,” Jack said. “Just…sit there and let me see…” He opened his hands, palms up, and closed his eyes. On the astral plane, he could sense their spirits and looking deep, he could sense their lifeforce. Reaching, he made his appeal.
Tyrion and Teclis closed their eyes as well, the back of their lids suddenly becoming a projection screen for an image that was fuzzy at first, but slowly came into focus. Jack was projecting his thoughts into their heads. But they weren’t just his thoughts. They were things that he’d seen. They were his life.
The first thing that they saw was a battle. It was a man with black hair charging against a beast that looked like Geminus, only smaller. They saw that man killed. Then the image faded and they were looking at a city that laid in ruins. The sky was dark and there was fire everywhere. In middle there was a building that looked untouched. It said SSAF over the main entrance…
The image shifted again to show more fires. The flames of hell burned around them. They saw red streaks of energy blaze up into the air, arching over and coming crashing down onto the landscape, decimating it. At the center of the explosions was another shell with spikes, this one a bit larger than the last. A different planet. A different Lavoid.
Flash. Again, it changed. The twins cringed as the saw an army of blue-skinned humans rampaging across a town, killing men…women…children. Charging to meet them were men wearing black. They were glowing white and wielding blades of energy.
Shift. Slide. More fire.. This time, it spread out in a circle. Above the ash laden ground, ships lowered themselves to the surface and more men in black jumped out. The ships pulled away, firing streams of black energy as they went. The men charged forward into a swarm of monstrous insectoid things that seemed to have no desire other than pure destruction.
Flash. Fire. Flash. Death. Flash. Destruction. Flash. Flash. Flash. Images began to flow past the twins at a rapid pace. It was the energies of the Lavoids in an unchecked arena. It was the planets that Jack had fought on. It was the planets that he had saved and planets that he couldn’t save. Always in the background there was a growing laugh that seemed to take delight in the destruction. The will of the Lavoid. The will for death. That’s all it was. The image went black, then began to pan outwards. The shape of a human female with blue skin came into view. She was the source of the laugh. She was the one…who had to be stopped.
“The Queen!” Teclis shouted, a darkness gripping his soul. The slide show suddenly ended and the twins came into an awareness of the situation. Teclis looked at Jack helplessly. “There was nothing but…pure evil.”
“Yes,” Jack said simply
“It was a will for nothing but destruction,” Tyrion said, shaking his head in disgust and echoing Teclis’ sentiments.
“Yes,” Jack said again. He looked at them each in turn. “Do you see now? Do you see why they need to be stopped?”
“They…” Tyrion started say, then shaking his head. “No…this can’t go on. It defies all sense of common justice! How can something be so heartless…?”
“And I’ve never really cared about things like this,” Teclis said slowly. “But there is something in this that seems to go above and beyond anything that seems even remotely acceptable. It is…without words that can describe it,” he said. He stood up.
“Beyond owing you my life, Jack, there is something that cries out to me saying that these actions cannot go on,” Teclis said. “I can’t explain it…call it a gut feeling. But…you would give us the power to help fight against these things?”
“You already have all the power you need,” Jack pointed out. “What I will show you is how to use it.”
“And we can make a difference…and stop these things?” Tyrion asked.
“That’s the idea,” Jack said, smiling inwardly. He looked at them. “Think about it. When you do, you may realize that you’ve already made up your minds, but each must realize his own destiny in turn.” He stood up. “Take your time and stay on the ship as long as you like. I must urge you, however, to carefully make your decision as soon as you can. Until then, please…come to me if you ever feel the need. And…” he paused, looking around the room. Emotion welled up in him as he found himself struggling with speaking for a moment. After a few moments of silence, though, he managed to voice his feeling. “Thank you,” he said, lowering his head. “Thank you, all.”
.
In the room that he had been given, Tyrion sat cross-legged on the reddish queen sized bed that was adorned with simple yet functional pillows. His eyes were closed as he focused on calming his spirit. He would go with Jack. He didn’t really know why yet, he just knew that it seemed to make the most sense. Something was pulling him; that much he felt. Maybe more than anything else, he needed to see where it was pulling him to.
He wondered why he was sitting here to begin with. Again, there was this overwhelming feeling in him that told him to go. The question of why didn’t seem as important as the question of when at the moment. There was nothing left for him on Celes, anyway. Even Rachel…at any rate, he had avenged her. There was a sense of completion there. Perhaps that’s why it was so easy for him to know that he was going to join Jack. There really was nothing left.
The door to his right slid open and Lina walked in wearing a pair of jeans and a loose fitting sweat shirt. She walked up to him, but he didn’t open his eyes right away.
“Yes?” he asked her. She sat down on the bed in front of him.
“The least you could do is open your eyes,” she said with a grin.
“You came in here to talk to me,” he said. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Hey, when did you become the psychic here?” she asked jokingly.
“When I figured you out,” Tyrion said. He opened his eyes and smiled a little bit. “You’re not as deep as might have thought you were.” He laughed. She started to get angry but quickly waved it off and laughed as well.
“I wanted to know what you were going to do,” Lina asked him. “About Jack and this ship and all that.” Tyrion nodded.
“I’m going with him,” he said. “I’m almost positive.”
“You won’t go back to Celes?” Lina asked, raising an eyebrow.
“There’s…nothing for me there,” he said. “And something in me seems say that there’s something for me out here. I don’t know what exactly it is, but I need to find out. If I don’t…I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself.” He paused for a second, then looked down at her. “Why don’t you come with me?” he asked hesitantly.
“With you?”
“Well, with us,” he said. “Or whatever you want to call it.”
“You’d want me along?”
“What else would you do?” he asked. “Go back to Celes? Go back to M-1? I don’t think they’re going to be around much more.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Jack was talking about fixing things up down there. Turning Ithilmar into a Republic and even ending all the disputes with the surface nations. It seems it was part of the agreement he had with Grev.”
“So what would I do?” she asked.
“I figure it seems like these guys need as much help as they can get,” Tyrion said. “And your power would be a great asset.”
“Well, naturally,” she said, smiling. “But…”
“And anyway, you were just starting to get bearable,” he said, bouncing off of the bed and on to his feet. “I certainly can’t get rid of you before you might get nice,” he turned around and winked at her.
“And you were just starting to get interesting,” she said. “I guess-” she was interrupted as Tristan walked into the room, his arm in a white and blue sling.
“Hey!” Tyrion said, turning to the blonde man. “How ya doing?” he asked walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh, I’ve had better days, kid,” Tristan said. “But the only thing that was permanently hurt was my ego.” He scratched his head. “I certainly got my ass whooped didn’t I?” he let out a laugh.
“Yeah, it was pretty painful to watch,” Lina said with a laugh.
“Now, now,” Tristan said. “I’m willing to wager that it was more painful to actually do.” He laughed again. “But yes, I’m going to be fine. I was just stopping by to check up on you. See how you’re doing and if you’ve…well…decided.”
“I’m pretty decided,” Tyrion said, hands on his hips. “I need to see where this road leads me. I never really believed in fate before all of this, but I might be coming to understand that things happen for a reason. The last week or so has definitely taught me that.”
“And you, Lina?” Tristan asked. “I know Jack’s invitation may have been directed at Tyrion and Teclis, but we’re always anxious to find new, strong fighters.”
“What would I be fighting for, though?” Lina asked. Tristan thought for a moment before giving a decisive answer.
“So that no one has to go through the suffering that people like Jack and I went through,” he said. “So that the Lavoids can’t do whatever they want. And…” Tristan paused in throught for a second. The Epitorum…she would have been killed as soon as her DNA was melded Tyrion’s in the form of a new child. But…he could out and out tell Lina that he suspected she may be the Epitorum. Again, he was not to meddle in the way of things.
“And what?” Lina asked.
“For life,” Tristan said at length. “Because the fact of that if we hadn’t come to Celes, your life would be forfeit right now. It sounds funny to accept, but Geminus would have killed everyone. Fight for you life and fight for the lives of those around you…those that you love.” Lina didn’t answer. Tristan looked to Tyrion.
“You should tell Jack if you’ve decided,” Tristan said. Tyrion nodded.
“Thank you, Tristan,” Tyrion said. “After all this…I’m…sorry that I didn’t trust you at first. It was a very confusing-”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tristan cut him off. “Don’t get all mushy on me now. Just go tell the boss that you need to go down and pack your bags.”
“You got it,” Tyrion said. He ran out into the hallway, turned around to look back into the room at Lina, then turned and made his way towards Jack’s quarters. Tristan looked at Lina with a friendly smile.
“You like him, don’t you?” he asked her.
“What do you know?!” she shouted in her defense. Then, calming down, she looked at him and laughed.
“He’s…nice to me,” she said solemnly. “People were never nice to me. It’s like he saw through my shield. As dumb as that seems…it kinda matters.” Tristan considered it.
“Do you believe in fate?” he asked her.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted.
“Give it time,” he said. “Fate, I think, has plans for you two.” Lina looked to the ground.
“Then…I’m going to come,” she said softly. She looked up at him. “Just don’t ask why, okay!?” They looked at each other for a bit, then laughed. “Well, what would the silly lug do without me?” she asked. “He can barely manage himself!”
“You’re an odd one, Miss Esverni,” Tristan said. “But your presence is welcomed. If you’ll be ready, the High Command will be meeting for dinner. You and Tyrion are cordially invited.”
“Yeah…” Lina said. “I’ll see you there. Thanks, Tristan.” She looked at him as he started to leave. “And please…if we’ll be working together, call me Lina.”
“You got it, Lina,” he said, walking out of the door and down the hall. Lina collapsed on to the bed.
“Fate?” she asked herself out loud. “Well…I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
.
Teclis glared out of the porthole with arms crossed over his chest, looking down onto Celes as Jack had done for so many hours over the last week. Behind him, Alaria sat in a red cushioned chair, looking at his back.
“You don’t have to go,” Alaria said. “No one’s making you.”
“I know,” Teclis said. “This isn’t anyone else’s choice. I’m making it on my own.”
“Could it be that you’re finally growing up a little?” Alaria asked with a grin.
“Maybe,” Teclis conceded. “But on the way to growing up, I need to find out more about what I am. Jack knows an awful lot, but there’s still something that’s missing. I feel it. There are still things he doesn’t know about us. I want to find those out.” He turned around. “And, as strange as this sounds coming from my mouth, I really can’t let the actions of that species go on.”
“Maybe it’s in your genes, Tec,” she suggested. “You know? Maybe Planeswalkers just want to fight the Lavoids?”
“Perhaps,” Teclis said. “And it’s things like that which I want to find out! I want to find out more about Tyrion, my brother. We should have so much to talk about. And Jack, too. He could teach me so much. He seems…so wise.”
“How old did he say he was?” she asked. Teclis laughed.
“Twenty one,” he said. He turned and faced the window again. “And yet he sounds and fights like he’s seen a hundred lifetimes.”
“You desire that power?” Alaria asked.
“No,” Teclis defended. “It’s not like that. It’s just so intriguing, is all, that someone has to be forced to grow up and face a treat to the entire galaxy. It makes what we were doing seem almost like a non-event. I suppose I sympathize with him on that level, knowing what its like to have to grow up before your time…”
“I just want you to be sure you’re making this decision for yourself,” Alaria said. Teclis chuckled.
“How long have been traveling together now?” Teclis asked.
“Nearly four months,” Alaria said. He looked at her.
“Four months is a lot of time to spend with basically just one person,” he said. Alaria looked up to the ceiling. Her voice became soft.
“All this time, and I think I just got really used to you being here because of it, Tec. Like, when we got separated, something important in my life was suddenly gone.”
“You know, and you’ve always been there to look out for me,” he said, walking over to her and sitting down on the floor in front of the chair. “I guess I grew kind of used to it, too.”
“No more than you look out for me, Tec,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, you were always there to pull me out of danger. Even in the last fight before we were separated, you were protecting me…” She looked down to him. “But…how much longer were you planning on protecting me, anyway?” she asked.
“I don’t know…” Teclis said, looking to the ground. “The…rest of my life?” His pale skin turned a shade of pink. Alaria became slightly flustered. Teclis spoke up again, his voice slightly choked. “I mean…It’s what I’m here for,” he said, sitting upright. “And it’s what your there for, too. I mean…we travel together and we protect each other. That’s what we do.” She didn’t respond. They sat in silence for a few moments until Alaria finally spoke.
“If you go, I’m coming with you,” she said.
“I…wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Teclis said matter of factly, nodding. A bright smile came over Teclis face.
“Tec, I…” he put a hand up.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to say it.”
“Yes, Tec,” she said, standing up. “I do.” He stood up too, but didn’t say anything. She decided she’d say it anyway. It was go time.
“I just…well, you’ve always been there for me, no matter what happened. Whenever something went wrong, you’d just stand there and tell me to calm down in that way of yours, and for the longest time, I thought I was frustrated by it. I was frustrated when you treated me like a kid, not thinking I could handle my own battles. It wasn’t until this whole fiasco though, that I realized that it’s never been like that. It was never that you didn’t have faith in me. You were always just making sure that you could protect me. And through all the little things…the fights over jobs…the quibbles over money…” a tear streamed down her face.
“Alaria, I…” he lost his voice.
“I didn’t know what to expect from you when I realized the truth, Tec. After all this time, you weren’t just a brother figure or a partner to me. You were so much more than that, but I knew…you could never see things that way.”
“I’m…just not good with those kinds of things,” Teclis said, his eyes drifting to the ground. “But just because I don’t show emotion doesn’t mean I don’t have it! If I were to tell you that…” he drifted off and she put her finger over his mouth.
“Teclis, I love you,” she said, looking up, her eyes wet. “And it can’t be any other way than that. And if you’re going on this crazy quest, then I’m going to try and do my part and protect you life you’ve protected me. Please, let me do that.”
“Alaria, I….” he wanted so badly to say it, but the voice just refused to come to him. He had to let emotion flow. Taking in a deep breath, he released what felt like a tidal wave of feeling that had been pent up for years. It came out slowly at first, but as he started to roll with it, he found that he almost liked this new feeling that he was acknowledging.
“I…love you too,” he said, reaching out and letting nature run its course as he embraced her. “And as hard as is for me to show it sometimes, it’s there,” he said into her ear. “Just…be patient with me.” He pulled her close.
“Always,” she said, turning her head up and pressing her lips against his. He was surprised at first, but once he gave into himself, the rest came naturally. Her voice echoed in his head as he magically dimmed the lights and ran his hands through her hair. The word reverberated over and over as he realized that there was more magic in this room than just his. There was magic in that word, a word that he would carry with him until the end of time: Always.
.
Sarah leaned against Jack’s chest as they laid on the bed in their private chambers after dinner. She listened closely to the movements of his body…his heartbeat…his breathing…his blood flow. He hadn’t even been wounded in his fight with Geminus. She wondered if he was okay, sometimes, in ways beyond the physical. His mind dealt with so many things…much more than she was forced to deal with. She worried for him…that the pressure would grow too great one of these days and he would just pop.
This was an evening for celebration through. She tried to purge such negative thoughts from her mind. The twins had agreed to join the LEA. Jack had found a union with his Planeswalker brethren; a union that would bring destruction to the Lavoids on a great scale. He would begin to train them soon and they would grow strong. He had defeated a Class B, too! Now, a whole other level of Lavoids seemed to become vulnerable to the LEA. Yes. This was a good day. This was a day to be happy.
“You okay?” he asked her, his fingers making paths through her long blonde hair.
“Oh,” she said, startled. “Yeah. I’m fine. Why, is everything okay?”
“I couldn’t be happier,” Jack said, smiling. “I mean…we found the twins, we beat Geminus and I’m here with you. What more could a guy want?” She laughed.
“Not much, I suppose,” she said with a grin. She sat up, shimmying up next to him. “And you’re feeling okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Not…too stressed or overworked?”
“I do what I have to do,” he said. “I’m just glad I have your face to come home to.” He kissed her lightly, then went back to playing with her hair.
“It’s just that I worry about you sometimes,” she said. “I worry you might be taking on more than you can handle. You did a good job, though. I’m very proud of you.” He smiled.
“Everything worked out so well…” he said. He looked at her and laughed. “I’m actually surprised I did so well winging it without your help!” she grinned.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help…” she said, lowering her gaze. “Normally, I’m-”
“Normally you’re always right,” Jack said, cutting her off. “And that’s the truth. We just encountered some weird temporal distortions here. It’s not like I’m losing faith in you. That couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, your what you could see was all the more impressive, given the situation.” She smiled.
“Maybe I’m just worried you’re biting off more than you can chew.”
“I don’t think I’m biting off more than I can chew,” he said. He sat up. “But…that can’t be all that’s on your mind,” he look at her intently. “Come on,” he demanded. “Out with it.”
“Hmm…” she said, thinking if there was anything more than that. “Maybe…maybe I’m worried that I’m losing you,” she said, somewhat figuring her thoughts out as she went. “That you’re drifting away from me. That you’re too occupied with this crusade...” Jack put a finger on her chin and brought it around until she was looking right into his eyes.
“Never,” he said, shaking his head. “That will never happen.” She shook off his finger and began to let her mind flow outward.
“It’s just that…you seemed so distant these last few days, and I know that’s to be understood because you were stressed out and I knew I couldn’t hold that against you but I was getting worried and that maybe this was too stressful for you to handle and I was having horrible dreams about you losing control of the Lavoid Slave and then I wondered what life would be like if I didn’t have you anymore and I-” she began to spin into a verbal avalanche of worries and feelings, forgetting to pause between sentences until Jack finally put his hand on her cheek and cut her off.
“Marry me,” he said. She stopped dead in her rant. Her eyes suddenly glowing bright and a smile coming across her face, she lunged up towards him and kissed him with every ounce of strength that she had. Jack felt like his head might have nearly burst from the pressure until she finally let up and grinned.
“Yes,” she said, coming up and kissing him again. Jack smiled as she did so, finally pushing her off long enough to breath.
“Wow, well, that’s even more of an acceptance than I expected!”
“Oh shut up, you!” she said, reaching behind him to grab a pillow before clobbering him with it. “You want to ruin the moment?” They laughed.
“Come here, silly,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. He looked her dead in the eye. “No matter what happens. Whether it be Planeswalkers or Lavoids or the Dominion or the very wrath of Iluvitar himself. Nothing…and I mean nothing will keep me from being with, lest it be the death of me.”
“Swear?” she asked.
“Swear,” he said, smiling. She smiled too.
“I believe you, Mr. McKlane,” she said, tapping him lightly on the nose. “And you’ve never failed me before.”
“And I don’t intend to now,” Jack said, leaning back and pulling her down to the bed. He looked over to her, nuzzling her forehead with his nose.
“I suppose our war has been going well,” he said. “We’re growing in numbers and we’re growing in strength. I feel sometimes like I’m getting ahead of myself, though, I’ll admit. Like I’m falling to steeply into this role of divine executioner.”
“I’m here to keep you grounded, Jack,” Sarah said, kissing him.
“I know,” he said. “Always, right?” he asked.
“Of course, always!” Sarah said. “No matter how far away from Elosia we go our how deep this war gets, I’ll always be there until death itself claims me from you.”
“I don’t deserve you,” he said.
“Nope!” she said, kidding him. “You probably don’t!” They laughed.
“Destiny works in funny ways,” Jack said. “I think today it brought us two very good things. Its just a matter of trying to ride in its wings until it doesn’t want to carry us anymore. Then, Sarah, I don’t know what happens next.”
“As long as you’ve still got your magic, does it matter?” she asked. He shook his head.
“No. Like I said years ago, as long as I have you, I can do anything. Forget about magic. You’re why I keep coming out of all these things alive. Why every time I walk into the mouth of hell, I come back smiling. Why I wander into certain death and turn out alive. Why no matter who rises to face me, I can win. Why I have the will to keep on going,” he said. “It’s because I’ve got you, and that is magic.”
.
The End