(A/N: I've been getting some confused comments, so to clear everything up: I recently rewrote Bo and the Beast and changed the ending so that Bo and Adam only are apart for 2 years. If you read the old version, you may be expecting them to have been apart for 11. But it is only 2 now. This chapter reflects that change because I wrote this chapter after the B&B rewrite. I haven't had time to change all the rest of We The Forlorn to match with the new rewrite, but hopefully one day soon I will! Thanks for your time, and enjoy the rest of the story!)
It was four days before they were ready to leave. Lan and her people were given instructions on how to reach the abandoned settlement that Bo and the rest had start out to find before they were betrayed by Silver. The nomads were also told where to find the Forlorn, and they left before anyone else with a promise to Esme to do their best to locate her tribe.
Since the Forlorn couldn't turn to TerraVictoria to stay, they'd have to make the abandoned settlement their new base. But without the militia in the city anymore, it wouldn't be hard to at least claim the supplies they'd left behind. In fact, Bo and Adam traveled the tunnels, along with Helga, Esme, and Khan, to retrieve the five hoppers they'd promised the smugglers who were holding their friends. They grabbed some food as well, but left most of the supplies for when they could come back with more hands. They'd need most of this to set up the new camp, and they couldn't spare much.
Bo and the others piled into the airship and headed back to the smuggler's camp. Bo hoped that nothing had happened to those they'd left behind, and Adam shared her anxiety. To try and assuage any fury over their late return, they stopped by the abandoned militia base and gathered as much of the ammunition and guns as they could. After that, it was smooth sailing until the smuggler camp came into view on the horizon.
"All right, slow down, Khan," Bo said, peering through a pair of binoculars at the wall that surrounded the base. "We don't want to spook them."
Khan raised an eyebrow. "I don't think anything we could do would spook them." But he slowed down anyway.
Before they could get much further, a voice came over the radio.
"State your business."
Bo picked up the radio to reply, still looking out her binoculars at the wall. Men and women appeared, leveling guns and canons at the airship. "It's the leaders of the Forlorn. We've come back to get our people."
The voice took a few seconds to respond. "You've been gone an awful long time. Suppose we've already killed all the parasites? We only have so many supplies, and your bunch has been sucking us dry while you've been out galivanting."
Though Bo's hand clenched at the thought of them murdering all the people they'd left behind, she knew she couldn't let them hear her fear. "Well, I guess you won't get this shipload of arms and ammunition then. We were going to trade our people for them, but if you've already gotten rid of them..."
Another brief pause followed, and then a different voice came over the radio. This one was familiar. It was the man who had done business with them the last time they'd been in Silver's airship, wanting access.
"We're allowing you in, but if there's any kind of trickery, you and the rest of your people are as good as rat food. Understand?"
"Perfectly," Bo responded, and through her binoculars, she saw the smugglers slowly lowering their weapons. A moment later, the gate opened and Khan steered the ship through and landed in the same place as before.
The smuggler's leader stepped forward as Bo and Adam disembarked.
"Where's the loot?" he asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"In the hold," Adam said, jerking his chin toward the airship. "Have your men unload it, and we'll go get our people."
The smuggler nodded, turning to bark some orders at the men and women behind him. They rushed forward as Khan opened the hold for them.
"The five hoppers we promised you are in there too," Bo said.
The smuggler grinned. "You may be late, but at least you're honest," he said. "I'd be careful of that honesty, though. Could get in you in trouble."
Bo laughed sharply. "Oh, we know," she said.
While the smugglers unpacked the guns and hoppers, a guide walked Adam and Bo and the rest to a long tent where the Forlorn were laying on cots. At the sight of their leaders, smiles and greetings erupted in a loud blur of activity. People rushed them, grabbing their hands and slapping their backs, saying how they were so glad they hadn't been forgotten. Mi pushed forward, relief visible on his face.
"We were beginning to think we were going to end up as feed for the smuggler's dogs," he whispered to Adam.
"It's a long story. We'll tell you later," Adam said.
Not wishing to infringe on the smuggler's goodwill any longer, the Forlorn made short work of packing up and heading to the airship which was now free of the gifts to the smugglers. The people boarded under the directions of Helga and Khan, and any that were still in need of medical help were seen to by Esme. Bo walked with Mi, telling him about why they were late coming back, and about the militia's fall, as Adam said the final farewells to the smugglers.
A half hour later, they were given a very stern and deadly warning by the smugglers to never tell a soul of their location, and then, finally, they were cleared to leave.
Khan piloted the airship up and out of the smuggler's camp, and then they were free. Free to go where they wanted and live how they wanted. Free from the militia, for now, and from pressing needs other than settling down and gathering their supplies.
The airship was crowded, noisy, and hot, but none of that mattered to anyone. They all shared stories and listened with rapt attention to the story of what happened to their leaders while they were away. And when that story was over, they began to talk about what Lan's new recruits would be like and what could come of a world without the militia. Mi, however, seemed caught up on a different aspect of the story.
"Helga saved your life?" he asked, glancing at where Helga was laughing with Esme.
Bo nodded. "Multiple times. She even gave me blood when I was being operated on by the militia doctors." She smiled slowly. "I'm sure she must have been close to passing out herself, due to the exhaustion of fighting Clayton and then lugging around Khan and myself, but she still gave the blood. It was very brave of her. Very selfless."
She watched him, and saw his eyes, for the first time, soften when looking at Helga. The hard coldness was no longer there, and for once he actually had an expression while watching Helga.
"She didn't used to care that much about other people," he said, looking back at Bo. "I could still sense the woman from the past. The one who was part of the reason my... my Kida was killed."
Bo sighed. "I don't think she wants to be that person anymore," she said. "But if you want to know more, then go ask her. She'll tell you more than I can, and perhaps you'll find out things that will surprise you."
Mi nodded, chewing on his lip. "I think I will," he said, smiling at Bo. He pushed through the crowd toward Helga, and Bo watched as he tapped her shoulder. Esme saw him first, and with a smile she excused herself and slipped into the crowd. Helga turned, slowly, and looked surprised to see Mi willingly interacting with her. And then they began to talk. And, though Bo was too far away to hear anything that was being said, she could tell that it was going to be all right between them. Perhaps Helga and Mi did not have to remain heartbroken forever.
As she was watching Helg and Mi, an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her into an embrace from behind. "Bo," Adam said. "I'm about to go crazy down here. Let's go up to the deck for some fresh air."
Bo turned in his embrace to face him, and smiled. "Sounds good."
Sliding his hand down her arm, they locked hands and pushed their way to the ladder that led up to the top deck. No one had proper dust gear, so they tended to avoid the dusty top deck. Which meant it was the emptiest place on the airship, and the most likely that they could get some time alone.
As Adam pushed open the door to the top deck, his expression changed subtly to one that was anxious and serious. He didn't look worried, exactly, but something was weighing on his mind.
"I wanted to find some place quiet so I could tell you something," he said. "I've been thinking about this ever since you found me, and when I was locked in that cell... I knew that it was what I wanted."
Bo walked out ahead of him into the fresh air. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"Well, I was thinking—"
Before he could finish his sentence Bo stopped dead in her tracks and held out a hand to halt him as well. She bit back a burst of laughter, and slapped a hand over her mouth.
"What is it?" Adam asked, his gaze traveling to where her own was pointed.
Khan sat on the chair for the controls, but on his lap was Esme, her arms wound around his neck and his tangled in her hair. There was no other word for it other than making out, and they only came up for air when Khan spotted them over Esme's shoulder.
Like a bolt of lightning, they detangled from each other. Esme jumped to her feet and wiped her mouth, while Khan coughed violently and pressed a bunch of buttons.
"Don't mind us, kids!" Bo said, barely able to contain her laughter. "We'll just, uh, find somewhere else to talk."
"Yeah," Adam said, pulling Bo with him as he backed up to the door. He couldn't hide the smile that spread across his face. "We'll head on down. You guys continue on."
"A-Adam!" Khan said, blushing furiously.
Adam just laughed and shrugged, pulling the door shut.
"Oh my gosh," Bo breathed out, letting loose her laughter. Adam rubbed his eyes and shook his head, still smiling.
"Well, I guess we should be glad that they found someone to love in this uncertain time," he said.
"They're so eager," Bo said. "And I hope they'll take the chance together. I took so long to see my own heart, and it cost me many years of heartache. So I hope they stay eager."
Adam's face returned to the serious look from before. "That is part of what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh, yes, I'd forgotten!" Bo said. "Let's find somewhere else quiet."
They walked back through the crowd and out toward where the bedrooms were located. They found the one they'd been in that morning, and pushed open to door to find that it was blessedly empty. The crush of bodies and the sound of so many voices faded away as Adam shut the door and Bo walked over to collapse onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling. Adam dropped beside her, his hand finding hers and holding it.
"It looks like we finally have a chance against the militia," he said. "The Forlorn is becoming more than just the small band I put together. We're gaining supporters and soon we might be able to even talk with the Terra Preservation about opening the walls to allow us back into the areas that are still arid and livable."
Bo nodded. "You've done a lot, Adam. Before you and the Forlorn, those of us who lived unprotected out in the dust fields could never rest. But you're doing something for those kind of people. You're making it safe again."
"And that's why I feel terrible for what I'm about to say," Adam tilting his head so that it gently bumped against Bo's. "I want to retire."
Bo raised her eyebrows. "Retire? As in, stop fighting?"
"I'm not giving up on our fight," he explained. "It's just that, after you came and found me, I started to think of another life. The one I left behind two years ago when I was separated from you. Back then, I wanted only to be with you. It was while you were gone that I fought for the Forlorn and did what I could to make a difference."
Bo bit her lip. "I understand," she said. "It's hard to choose between the greater good and what's good for you. You feel selfish."
Adam nodded. "Am I abandoning people to die and suffer, just because I want a family?"
Bo sighed. "That's the question I asked myself when I let you go the first time. Do I abandon my camp just for personal happiness?"
"Whether it's selfish or not, I just can't bring myself to think of years of leading an army ahead of me. I already fought in one war, and it made me someone I never wanted to be. I don't have it in me to be changed by yet another war."
Bo pushed herself up to sitting and looked down at Adam. "There's nothing selfish about wanting to live in peace," she said. "You built the Forlorn and sacrificed your personal happiness for years. You've gotten them to the point where they don't need you anymore. Khan and Helga are capable and ready. They've fought with you, and you know they can be trusted to see it out to the end. And now you have other leaders, like Lan and Li. The Forlorn isn't a rag-tag group of criminals anymore. It's an army. And that army doesn't need specifically you anymore."
He ran his hands over his eyes, exhaling slowly. "It's just hard to let go."
"I know," Bo said, leaning down one arm, close enough that her hair fell on his cheek. He stared up at her, as she traced his lips with her fingers. "But you are giving it to people who will not fail you. You're giving it to those who aren't war-weary already."
Adam lifted his hand, tangling it in her hair and bringing her down to kiss her lips. He pulled back, resting his forehead against her. "I'm so tired of the violence and fighting. I just want a quiet home and a normal life."
Bo smiled, kissing his cheek and lowering herself to lay on his chest. "I think it's time for the two fearless leaders to go home and live the life they put on hold," she whispered. "It's time to say goodbye."
Adam wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her in close and burying his face in her shoulder. She closed her eyes, in complete awe that she had found him at all. And with that, the time slipped away as the sunset and the room filled with darkness.