Chapter Text
“Everybody ready?” Lovelace calls out as she cocks the gun in her hand.
Minkowski readies her own weapon and tries to mask the uneasiness eating her from within. “Ready.”
They’ve finally landed back on Earth-Earth, their home-but of course with their luck they must face yet another gun fight before they can finally feel welcomed back. It’s almost impossible not to immediately encounter Goddard Futuristics when you literally fly their own ship back into their headquarters. Not like they had another landing pad to chose from.
(“Think NASA will let the competition use their landing pads?” Jacobi had quipped.
“What’s a NASA?” Eiffel asked.)
Now, they’re stuck inside their docking bay, blast doors closed, anxiously waiting for whomever is on the other side to open them. Lovelace has herself positioned on the right side of the doors with Jacobi, leaving Minkowski on the right with Doug. The latter of the two of them is looking at the gun in his hand with absolute horror, which is understandable given his circumstances.
“U-Uh…have we done something like this before?” Doug asks, voice and hands shaking.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Minkowski replies, trying to keep her own voice steady. She puts a hand over his own and slowly his shaking starts to subside. “Just stay behind me.”
“It’ll be fine Doug,” Hera responds through the Urania’s speakers. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I-I know, and thanks, b-but…this is normal for us?”
“Not for much longer, it will be,” Lovelace claims as if telling it to the man upstairs himself.
Just then, footsteps begin to echo from outside the Urania. Voices pass commands back and forth to each other, and with each word spoken Minkowski utters a silent prayer in return. They can do this. They just need to make it through one more fight. She just needs to fight through the pain of her bullet wound and keep Doug alive just a little bit longer.
Just a little bit longer.
The doors begin to open sluggishly, metal scraping against metal to make a loud, screeching sound. Minkowski locks eyes with Lovelace from across the way, each of them nodding in acknowledgement.
There’s no way they’ve come this far to give up so easily. Are they tired? Sure. But they will always be stubborn as hell.
The doors finally part all the way and a full squadron of soldiers in tactical gear come rushing in. Minkowski has ten different guns pointed at her in the fraction of a millisecond. Lovelace and Jacobi aren’t fairing any differently. At this point, whatever concept of a plan they had originally come up with has gone out the window. It hasn’t even been a full minute; a new record for terrible, rushed plans.
One of the soldiers closest to Minkowski looks her over from head to toe before lowering their weapon. It takes her a moment to realize they aren’t wearing a Goddard Futuristics badge. None of them are. “Are you Commander Renée Minkowski of the U.S.S Hephaestus?”
Minkowski straightens her back and uses the strongest tone she can possibly manage. “Yes, and this is my crew.”
“Can you identify them?”
“Captain Isabelle Lovelace of the U.S.S Hephaestus. Administrative Officer Daniel Jacobi. Communications Officer Douglas Eiffel. In one of the cabins is Doctor Miranda Pryce of Goddard Futuristics.”
“And Hera…the AI unit from the Hephaestus,” Hera chimes in. “Hi.”
The soldier raises a hand in the air and signals for their fellow subordinates to stand down. Soon, not a single weapon is even dared pointed in their direction and Minkowski allows herself to lower her own. The soldier in front of her flips open the face cover on their tactical helmet and offers her a friendly smile. “Welcome home, commander.”
~~~~~
After every member of their crew makes each individual soldier swear on their life not to mess with Hera or any technical systems on the Urania, they allow themselves to be taken to a nearby hospital. Apparently, when Minkowski hailed Goddard to land, the U.S. military had already figured out Cutter had basically almost committed mass genocide of the entire planet and had taken over their main facility. Which meant the whole standoff thing had been completely unnecessary.
Oh well. It’s not like they told them on the Urania what was up. Probably because they needed to make sure they had been identified or whatever.
At this point, Minkowski could care less. Right now, her body is being pumped full of “Pain Go Away” medicine, which her bullet wound is immensely thankful for. Across from her in the same hospital room. Jacobi is getting treated for his own bullet wound and the puffy trail of burned skin he received from his little party with Riemann going up his arm. Lovelace is already on her feet, luckily only sustaining a few minor cuts and bruises despite everything (or maybe the universe is finally giving the captain a well-deserved break).
Pryce is somewhere on the other side of the hospital under close observation by the authorities, which Renée is eternally grateful for. Amnesia or not, the lady could still be dangerous as hell.
Through the thin hospital curtain to her left, she can see the outline of Doug sitting on a hospital bed as a doctor wraps his arm up in a sling. Another doctor is standing near him, asking him various questions in a calm, orderly pace.
“How did you break your arm, Mr. Eiffel?”
“I, uh…I don’t remember. I think I crashed a ship? Hera was telling me about some kind of “Fast Ball Special” or something.”
“That is…concerning. Do you feel any other pain in your body? We may need to do an x-ray to make sure there is no internal damage.”
“N-No, I think I’m alright. My head hurts but…not because I got tossed around in space a lot.”
“Is there any immediate family you want us to contact for you? Your spouse or your parents?”
“I…I don’t know if…I have a family.”
The words hit Minkowski like a truck. She winces. It was her decision not to tell Doug about any of his family members. Not his parents, not his ex-girlfriend, not even his daughter. The last thing he needed to be while his brain put itself back together again was overwhelmed.
It doesn’t make the words sting any less. He must feel so confused, so alone. Maybe she should have told him, just like Hera and Lovelace tried to convince her to. Just so he knows he isn’t on his own-
“Renée?”
Minkowski’s heart seizes in her chest. Any and all thoughts that were currently floating through her brain vanish. Time freezes as she turns her head and sees her husband standing just a few feet away from her hospital bed.
Dominick. Her husband. The love of her life is standing right in front of her. Nothing else in the world seems to matter because it’s Dominick.
He’s aged in the past few years, his features more defined but he’s still handsome all the same. The state of his clothing makes it appear that he grabbed the first flight he could and booked it over here to get to her, which only makes the tears in Minkowski’s eyes form faster. He looks at her, with wide, glistening eyes and mouth fully agape like he’s just seen an angel fall from the heavens.
Minkowski smiles. “Hi honey. I’m home.”
Dominick has his arms wrapped around her not even a moment later, his face buried in the crook of her neck and Minkowski lets the dam holding back everything in her chest explode. She’s sobbing uncontrollably, clutching at whatever she can grab of her husband and holding him close. A part of her is afraid that if she lets go of him, she’ll lose him forever. She’ll let go and be back in the Hephaestus, lightyears away without the comfort of her true love.
“Oh Renée,” Dominick sobs into her shoulder. “Oh Renée, Renée, Renée-“
“I know, I’m so sorry. I-“
“I missed you so much. I-I can’t believe-I never really did-I knew-“
She pulls him back just far enough to kiss him, to make up for every lost moment taken away from them. So many years wasted. So much heartache left to bear. He kisses her back with full force, cradling the side of her face in his hand.
When they part, Minkowski immediately pulls him close to her and tucks her head in his chest. “I love you. I love you so much, Dominick.”
“Are you going to be alright-?”
“No. No I won’t…but you’re here. You’re here and that’s enough. You’re here. I’m here. I’m finally here.”
~~~~~
Doug’s been having…a weird couple of days.
First off, apparently, he lost his entire memory and all his personality because of some weird memory wipe doodad. That’s fun. He’s not really sure whether to mourn over that fact or not given he’s not sure what he should mourn over.
Second off, the entire process of being in space, to being out of space, to having a bunch of guns pointed at his face was defiantly not fun. That part kind of goes without saying.
Third off, his arm is super broken and all the questions that brain doctor asked him have him severely bummed out. It’s not everyday someone asks you if you have a family and you can’t remember. Does he have a family? Is he married? How the hell is he supposed to no? Can’t someone just look him up on Google or something so he doesn’t have to go through all this amnesia bullshit? No wait, shouldn’t they already have a bunch of his records on stand by since the military already knew they were coming?
Watching Renée reunite with her husband was basically a slap in the face to the whole “Not Remembering His Family” thing, and also a little bit spooky given he doesn’t know her that well. Or at least not as well as he used to. Don’t get him wrong; he’s happy for Renée, one hundred percent. It’s just…he wonders if he knew about Renée’s husband before, or if Renée’s husband knew him. If anyone else on Earth actually knows him. For all he knows, he’s the only one besides the Hephaestus crew who knows of the sarcastic asshole the communication logs tell him he is. The only evidence he has to let him know he isn’t just some random fabrication made up of star dust is his own voice from another lifetime.
Which is the fourth thing he’s concerned about, which may quickly become his number one. Who was he? Who is he now? Is he still Douglas Eiffel or is he someone else now? If he is someone else, is that for better or for worse?
It’s a lot to take in.
As the days roll by and the crew recovers, Doug still finds himself asking those questions over and over again. Every time he does something, says something, there’s a moment of hesitation. Every time he asks himself, “Should I act like Doug Eiffel or should I act like…Doug Eiffel?” Forgetting who you are is confusing.
The only reason he hasn’t completely lost it yet is because Renée always seems to be at his side whenever the questions become too much, when he hesitates for a moment too long before speaking to someone. Whenever Renée isn’t there, Isabel is. And when push comes to shove, Daniel distracts him with a witty joke or two. Doug may not know much, but he does know these people care about him and that alone will be enough help him get through this mess of himself.
Hopefully.
“Doug? You awake?”
Doug sits up in his hospital bed and turns to see Renée looking over at him from hers. Her husband Dominick is sitting by her side, holding her hand with a desperation that shakes Doug to his core. Is there someone out there who is supposed to be holding his hand right now, or at least someone who would want to? Who’s waiting for him to come home?
He must hesitate again because Renée continues with her thought. “It might be sudden…but we need to talk about living arrangements.”
Doug blinks. “Okay. Uh, why?”
Renée looks to Dominick, who simply nods to her. She looks back to him. “We think it’s best for you to live with someone you’re familiar with until you get back on your feet.”
“Oh okay. Weeeell…I don’t…I’m not really familiar with anyone yet,” he admits because duh, amnesia. “Who…i-is there someone I should try to contact-?”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Renée assures him. There’s an edge to her voice that’s a bit unsettling, but her tone quickly softens. “Doug…if it’s okay with you…we…w-will you come live with us?”
Just when it seems like nothing can surprise Doug anymore, some cosmic force throws him for a loop. “Huh?”
“We talked it over,” Dominick continues. “You…I-I can’t thank you enough for helping Renée. Everyone in this hospital room? You saved their lives. The least we can do for you is to help you find your bearings.”
“But…you want me to live with you guys? Like in your house?” Doug asks.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Dominick assures him. “but we’d be happy to have you.”
“I don’t-“ he stumbles over his words. Something about this situation feels off. He has a home. He has a family. He must.
But a tug in his gut is telling him to accept their offer.
Doug thinks about it for a second longer, trying his best to ignore Renée’s fretful gaze. “You sure I wouldn’t be intruding on…well anything. You two just got back together and I feel like you may just want some alone time-“
“Doug,” Renée stops him. “You are more than welcome in our home.”
“We even have a rental property next door to us. Whatever space you need, you can have,” Dominick adds.
“Just please,” Renée continues, “don’t try to go through this on your own.”
It’s so tempting, so so tempting just to say yes to her right then and there, but he hesitates. He hesitates yet again, and he hates it because this is what he wants. This is his friend, isn’t it? A friend who cares about him dearly? He should jump at the chance for help, given how terrified by everything he is right now.
But Doug Eiffel…the Doug Eiffel…he must have a life outside of pop-culture references and the longing urge to smoke again. And as that Doug Eiffel, does he owe it to himself to pursue the life he once lived?
“I’ll…I’ll think about it. Thank you, Renée. Thank you, Dominick, but…I just need to think about it, alright?”
The flash of hurt that passes over Renée’s face makes him wish he could take back his answer, but she puts on a smile before he can do anything to soften the blow. “Of course, Doug. Take your time. You…you will think it over though, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t…don’t worry about it,” he mumbles as he turns his back to them. Soon he has his head on his pillow and wills himself to sleep just so that he doesn’t have to fight with himself anymore.
~~~~~
Jacobi’s list of “Things He Hates Most in This World” goes in order as follows: Ducks, Goddard Futuristics, and hospital food.
Sure, the pudding cups are caviar compared to the protein packs back in space, but everything else? Let’s just say if he had any C4 left on him, he’d rid the pantry of its misery.
It is to his immense relief when the hospital finally releases the three of them into the happy hands of the outside world to finish recovery. With nothing to his name besides the bloodstained jumpsuit he brought back with him and the soul-surviving party maker in his pocket, Jacobi begins his walk out of the main lobby.
That is, until Lovelace grabs him by the back of the collar.
“Where do you think you’re going, Mister Jacobi?”
“Uh, where does it look like I’m goin’?”
“I don’t know.” She releases his collar and crosses her arms as he finds his balance. “Looks like you were about to walk out of the lobby all sneaky-silent like without so much as a goodbye.”
“Oh what? A guy can’t get a little fresh air? Who said I was just leaving?”
Lovelace hums. “I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you’ve been staring longingly out the window for the past thirty minutes and every time we’ve asked you what you’re gonna do once we get out of here, you ignore us?”
“Hey, get off my case. Eiffel doesn’t know what he’s doing either.”
“Eiffel has a little more leeway than you do because he’s not a fully functioning adult. Then again, given how much you’ve been deflecting, I’m starting to assume you aren’t either.”
“Why is this suddenly the “Let’s Mess with Jacobi” party?” he demands. The door is just a few feet away from him; how far can he limp before the captain catches back up with him? He’s betting at least a fair enough distance. “What I do with my life is none of your business! Go fly off to the Bahamas or something and leave me alone.”
“Hmm, not happening.”
“Oh, c’mon-“
“I am still a captain, and as your captain-“
“You were never my captain-“
“I’m going to ignore that, Mister Jacobi, because right now I’m trying to hold a civil conversation with you and be compassionate for once. Don’t test my patience.”
Jacobi scoffs, but listens to her none the less.
“As your captain, it is still my duty to look after your wellbeing. Do you have a place to stay? Any family you can get in touch with?”
A dry laugh escapes him. “Yeah right. Like I’m going back to my family after all of this.”
“So you have nowhere to go?”
“Hey now, I didn’t say-“
“You don’t. I already suspected as such.”
“Now you’re jumping to-!”
“Conclusions, Daniel?” Lovelace snaps. “Yes, I am jumping to conclusions because we just made it back home after years of absolute hell and I’m not letting any of my crew members waste their lives because they don’t have a purpose to fill anymore.”
The height difference between the two of them has never bothered Jacobi before, but as he is stared down upon, he can’t help the chill that runs up his spine.
A moment passes and Lovelace sighs. “I’m going on vacation in two weeks. Before then, I’m going to buy an apartment near my parent’s house and get myself as moved in as a possibly can. I expect you to housesit for me when I’m gone.”
The words sink into Jacobi’s brain slowly. “Wait, what? Y-You just expect me to do this favor for you because…because…god damnit.” He runs a hand over his face, pushing up the loose strands of hair hanging over his eyes. Now is not the time to get sentimental. Not when freedom is right within in his grasp. He doesn’t even like the captain, or any of the Hephaestus crew!
Okay, that may be a lie, but still! It’s the principle of the matter! He’s his own man. He can go out and do whatever he wants now without a worry in the world. He can go out to a few bars, meet a few guys, and slot right back into his old routine…
Damnit, he’s really going to agree to house sit for the captain, isn’t he? How sad and miserable has be become?
“Ffffffffffffine! I’ll…babysit some stupid plants or for you or something! But then I’m out! I’m going rouge! And you can’t stop me!”
Lovelace grins, and something tells Jacobi he just lied to himself again. “If you say so, buddy. If you say so.”
~~~
As Dominick finishes filling out the proper paperwork that allows them all to leave the hospital, Minkowski stares out the window towards the outside world with Doug by her side.
It’s such a pretty blue, holding such a simple grace in its pale blue appearance. Minkowski forgot how truly beautiful it could be. It trumps the fiery red (and sometimes deep murky blue) Wolf 359 always appeared as. She can’t take her eyes off it.
“Would you look at that?” she whispers delicately. Any other tone of voice should shatter this moment entirely and have her waking back up on the Hephaestus from this wonderful dream.
“It’s...really blue,” Doug comments.
Minkowski can’t help but laugh. God, how she missed the simple, idiotic remarks from the communications officer. What she needs most of all now are some cheap laughs help take the strain of the past off her shoulders. “It is also really blue. You are right.”
A moment of silence passes over them as they continue to stare up at the endless abyss above. Most people don’t truly grasp how far away it stretches, how many stars it holds in its grasp. What a wonder to finally be looking at it from below instead of right in it.
“So…I thought about your offer.”
Minkowski whips her head around the moment Doug starts to speak. “Y-You have? I mean…you have?”
“Yeah…”
His silence scares her more than her first encounter with the plant monster. There are so many ways this conversation can go south and with her luck, it will. “And…what did you decide? I…I won’t be offended if you say no. I just want to look out for you, that’s all. Not in, like, a stalker-ish kind of way. Like a friend way…that sounded weird. Everything I’m saying sounds weird. Uh, let me start over-“
“I want to stay with you.”
Minkowski’s rambling dies on the tip of her tongue. “I’m sorry, what?”
Doug seems taken aback by her response. “I mean-! Only if you want me to! I-I understand if the offer was a heat of the moment thing a-and you’d rather not have me around-“
“Woah, Eiffel! Doug. I meant Doug. Calm down. We…oh my god, don’t even think that. We’re happy to have you. I…”
A few years ago, if Renée Minkowski had ever taken Doug Eiffel’s hand in her own, it would either be out of a moment of weakness or to save his ass from whatever danger he had gotten himself in. When the moment would pass, she would let go of him without a second thought. Now, she’s going to find it hard to untether herself from him. “I’m glad you said yes.”
Doug smiles sheepishly. “W-Well…I really wish I could make a pop-culture reference right now, but that might actually ruin the moment now that I think about it. Not that I have a lot of material to pull from, either...”
She simply shakes her head. “We can fix that. But let’s skip Home Alone II for a bit, okay?”
“What’s that?”
“A mediocre movie at best, Doug. Mediocre at best.”
Not even a few minutes later, Dominick finishes with the paperwork and the crew of the U.S.S. Hephaestus is finally free to shape their own destinies. Jacobi is the first one out the door, blowing on his party popper like a kid at their own birthday party. Lovelace is close behind him with a grin on her face and even a few tears prickling in the corners of her eyes (but Minkowski would rather die than point that out to her).
“You ready to go?” Dominick asks as he comes up beside her.
Minkowski smiles. “You bet.” She turns to Doug. “Are you ready?”
Dough takes a deep, shuddery breath. The corners of his lips dig downwards but he keeps his chin held high all the same. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Hand in hand, the two of them take their first steps into their new final frontier.