Daddy
Janie's boat sailed, in search of something. It sailed waters, through time and space, searching dock after dock. It sailed for what seemed like years, until it finally stopped, at a dock without a shore, in the middle of a vast ocean.
It was cold. That's all that came to mind at first. Cold, and dark. She couldn't see the water, or the sky, or anything. The only thing she was sure of, was that she felt the dock under her hands. And then, she saw the silver disc in the sky, the moon, and just enough light filtered through to see the waves, and to see that she wasn't alone.
He smiled at her, trying to reassure his daughter that everything would be okay, even though worry lined her face.
"I'm not afraid." Janie lied. She was, and had no idea what would happen. Nothing seemed to be going right in the world lately, and the dock was the safest place that she could think of. Her Daddy was there, as always.
"It's okay if you are." He spoke, just as the sky filled with fire, and the land began to roar. She looked to her father, who remained calm as the dock shook and fiery rocks rained down around them. Tears welled in her eyes.
"Daddy."
"Shh." He said, as the dock behind them began to collapse. "No need for tears. We're gonna be alright."
It was the last place where she'd seen him, and now- everything was different. She'd gone back and seen things, seen what he had done when he was supposed to be Daddy. Where he was the reason the island was now gone, and the sky had fallen around them that night. And she didn't know why.
Janie anchored her boat, and sat on the few feet that was left of the dock. Where she'd sat with her Daddy thousands of times, and poured her heart out.
Her legs dangled over the edge of the weathered dock, toes just missing the gentle salty waves. That was fine with her, because she liked watching the water. Her Daddy held his fishing pole with weathered, brown hands, and she sat back, her hands on the smooth boards, smiling.
"The water calms me down." She said for no reason at all. Sometimes she'd just sit there with her Daddy, just to be in the company of someone who loved her unconditionally. "Even if I'm all alone. I can stare at the sea for hours and I know."
"What do you know, Muffin?"
"That you're somewhere near the water, doing the same thing. That in this big universe, I'm not alone."
"I don't stay on the dock all day." He said, smiling.
"Every sunrise, every sunset." She had other things to do, she had her life. But sitting there, on the dock, watching the sun rise, she felt at peace. "Can I stay here a while?"
"Ain't nothing to stop you."
But he stopped her. He destroyed the dock, the fish were all dead. The waters were dead and black.
Janie wondered what had caused Robert Taylor to turn on her, to destroy what she built, what he helped her build. Their docks were all destroyed, their islands all sunk, his pocket universes no longer accessible.
He'd been planning it all along, from the moment he met her Mother. From when he suggested that Ella abandon her only child in a time period that might kill her. From making sure she'd get shot in a Texas parking garage, to paying off a disgruntled ex to kill her.
Robert was as powerful as Ori, and just as mad, but he wasn't trapped in a jar. Janie didn't want to remember that, she just wanted to keep the few memories of a happy family that she still had.
They were happy once, on a warm and sunny beach, filled with white sand and the sounds of an island band drifting towards the water. One hand was in her Father's weathered brown hand, and the other was in her Mother's tiny smooth hand, and they would lift her, both smiling at the joyful squeals of the child. The three of them danced, spinning, twirling, and finally with tiny little girl feet standing on her Father's feet. He led her in one last dance as the sun set, before the three walked down the beach for one last time.
The reception hall at her wedding, she still had to look up to him, but didn't have to stand on his feet anymore. He led her on the dance floor for the Father and Daughter dance. She had tears in her eyes, not wanting the song to end. They were older, the dances wouldn't happen as much. Her Mother wasn't there, and she was afraid that her Father wouldn't be there for the next dance.
"Shh. No need for tears. We're gonna be alright."
"I know Daddy." Janie said, from the dock.
"What do you know, Muffin?" He answered, beside her once more. He looked the same, the same smile, the same weathered brown hands.
"That you're somewhere near the water, doing the same thing. That in this big universe, I'm not alone."
"This is your last sunset. Tomorrow, it's going to be Lynn's." He spoke casually, then cast a line with his fishing rod. Something seemed final about it, that when he caught a fish, he would try to kill her.
"Why? I thought- after everything, you're still my Daddy."
"You weren't supposed to be so hard to kill. Ori warned me that mixing our lines wasn't a good idea, but I said that after we saw your abilities, I'd throw you in the swamp. It never was supposed to go on for this long. You weren't supposed to have children."
"How long have you been trying to- But you had chances, you could have ended it." Janie's heart was breaking at the betrayal, and she was ready to run. To the edges of the universe.
"I'm as old as Ori." Robert revealed "And some things, you find out need to happen a certain time. You're done now, I can't see nothing else that you need to complete for the universe. Lynn is an abomination, but nothing seems to kill her either. Orishabi and I sure did give it a try."
"Did Mama know? I killed all of- Daddy. I killed all of her people, or got them working for me."
"Thanks for taking care of that little Muffin. Neither of us wanted a race of time travelers walking the Earth. Now, don't you worry, this isn't going to hurt a bit. You're just not going to exist anymore."
"I'm not afraid." Janie said, standing "And I'm not done. Neither is Lynn."
The sky went black, so black that the air, water, the Rift Raft, the dock, and the two sitting on it all disappeared into the darkness. Then a beam of light from the sliver moon illuminated Janie.
"Nice show, but it's not going to save you." Robert sounded a little unsure, he didn't entirely know if killing her would work. Then the boat, illuminated for just a second, revealed the figure of his Granddaughter, Lynn.
"It's okay to be afraid. But you're not going to be alright." The sky turned to fire, and began to fall around them. The dock started to sink into the boiling sea, and Robert couldn't move. "Lynn, or Beast, one of them, they're ending this world. Whatever it is you've created here. If you find us again, we'll do the same thing, until you stop."
"You're not going to find me again."
"You're at a dock. Every sunrise, every sunset. It's how it was in the beginning, and how it shall be until the end of you."
And then, she, the boat, and Lynn disappeared to a warm sunny beach, to make new family memories.