Gravity Rises (S3)

CW: Part Thirteen

TEN MINUTES EARLIER

"What?" said Fidds, his voice a little hysterical.

"Quiet," said Lee. He undid the belt at his side and held it out, knife and all. "I need you to do this for me."

"No!" Fidds said, the word bursting from him without a second thought. "No, I'm not going to—"

"Quiet."

Fidds lowered his voice and hissed, "I'm not going to kill you."

"You have to. Andrew's gone. And I can't do it."

"I can't do it either," Fidds protested. "It has to be someone else."

"Who?" Lee demanded. "Ford? That'll never happen. Melody? I'd never ask something like this of her. And I definitely can't ask any of the kids."

"Why would you ask me?" Fidds said, his voice strained. "I can't do it. You can't ask me. Why not one of the other minotaurs with us?"

"Who knows if they'll be with us by the time we get to Bill?"

"Lee, you can't—"

"Look," Lee said. "You offered yesterday to do anything I asked. Well, I'm asking you to do this."

"But—"

"You said yourself that it's like you killed me thirty years ago when you wiped my memory. Now you have to do it again."

Fidds was stricken. "I. . . I can't. . ."

"Please." Lee pressed the sheathed knife into Fidds' hand. "Please do this for me. Take this, hide it under your clothes, and be ready. We have to get to Bill, and you have to be the one to stop him."

Fidds shook his head.

"Please."

There was a long moment of silence. There was no way Fidds could do this. Right? Absolutely no way.

But. . . he had to.

"Okay," Fidds whispered. A few tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Thank you," Lee replied, his voice also a whisper.

Fidds tied the belt around his waist and hid the knife under his clothes. He hated every moment of it. He hated Lee for asking him to do this. He hated Bill for inhabiting Lee's body and leaving no other option.

He hated himself for agreeing.

"Let's get back to the others," Lee said, "before anyone gets suspicious."

He turned, but Fidds grabbed his shoulder before he could walk away. "Why? Why are you being so secretive?" he asked Lee. "Don't the others have the right to know?"

A stark look of pain came to Lee's face. "Do you want to be the one to tell them?"

Fidds didn't have a response to that. No. He didn't.

"There's always a chance that something else will work," Lee said, though he sounded very doubtful of that. "Let them have their hopes."

"Isn't that crueler than telling them?"

Lee's hands curled into fists. "Maybe it is."

Before Fidds could reply, Lee turned and walked away.

Fidds, feeling hopeless and horrible, followed.

~~~~~

PRESENT MOMENT