Disclaimer: JQ characters belong to HB & Turner Productions. 
Charles Wallace, Meg and everything associated  to the "Time" 
trilogy belongs to Madeleine L'Engle. Characters used without 
permission. No $$ made for this venture. Enjoy! ^_^.
Category:  Episodal, X-over, Angst, Past
Archivers: Not a problem, as long as you tell me where you put 
this baby! ^_^. 
Summary: THE CONCLUSION!!!  

Rating: WARNING!!! This chapter has a lot of psychological stuff. 
A good number of people will find this VERY DISTURBING. If you're 
easily offended by the possibility that good guys can be influenced 
by the darker side of human nature, read no further.

This is a continuing series. It is advisable to read the preceding 
chapters before reading this one if you haven't done so. The earlier 
chapters are available in the fanfiction page of my site at:
http://members.xoom.com/inachan/jqfics.html 
or at your request at 	inachan2@ican.net

January 10, 1999
The Ripple Effect (16/16)
by: Ina-chan (inachan2@ican.net)

	Time had stood still.
	Literally.
	Jonny gaped at his surroundings upon his realization. The 
droplets of rain hung in mid-air like tiny diamonds in the unearthly 
empty silence. He glanced back and saw the figures he left behind, 
frozen in their poses of surprise at that moment when he bolted to
meet his enemy. Time stood still... just for this moment...
	"The rules of the game are quite simple," The little boy's 
monotone called to his attention. Jonny stared in horror  as the younger 
boy's small hands lifted a small object and clumsily fumbled over it 
until it made a satisfying click. The child smiled sweetly at the older 
boy's reaction before continuing, "I'm going to kill them. All you'll 
have to do is stop me." 
	Jonny bowed his head and let a peal of sarcastic laughter escape 
from his lips.
	"Are you giving up?" The child asked his reflection, "It would be 
best if you did. It will be less painful."
	Though his posture hid his eyes, it did not hide the droplets of 
pearls that ran down his face  before falling to... hitting the ground... 
shattering into a thousand slivers, "Why are you letting them use you?" 
Jonny asked in a tortured almost inaudible whisper, "Don't you know who 
they are?"  
	The little boy cocked his head, "It doesn't matter."
	"'It doesn't matter'?" 
	"It's better this way."
	"Better for who?"
	"For everyone. For Dad... Race... Hadji... Jessie..."
	"How did you..." Jonny's voice trailed as he lifted his head 
to stare at his younger reflection. He clenched his jaw with the 
realization that it wasn't just him who senses his opponent's thoughts 
and memories.
	The little boy smiled again, "You already know what I mean. 
You know. Deep in your heart, you know what I'm saying is the truth. 
It would have been so much better for everyone if we weren't born."
	Jonny lifted his chin with determination, "I know what you're 
trying to do Ecthroi. It's not going to work."
	"Dad would have done a lot more good for the world if he didn't 
spend half of the time worrying if you've gotten yourself killed. Or 
slowing him down with your stupidity."
	"Listen to me Jonny," Jonny called out gently, trying a new 
tactic, ignoring the dark mist slowly collecting and swirling around 
his feet 
	"And you never really cared about Hadji, did you?" The child 
continued, ignoring him, "Back then, you were more interested with the 
fact that Hadji can do all those neat tricks and the judo moves than 
him. You never really thought of the fact that you could have gotten 
Hadji hurt... or killed with all the trouble you dragged him into. And 
he is supposed to be your best friend."
	"Don't listen to them," Jonny retorted as he clenched his hands 
into tight fists, warding off  his own internal battles
	"Let's not forget how you strung Race along. Who knows 
what other better things Race could be doing if he wasn't busy 
trying to save your hide all the time? Who knows? Maybe..." The 
little boy paused, "Maybe he could have worked things out with 
Estella."   
	"You can fight this," Jonny said venomously, unsure to 
whom his words were directed to
	"'It's all your fault.' That's what she said, didn't she? 
And she's right isn't she?" The little boy made an odd monotonous 
sound resembling a giggle, "It really is all your fault that she 
grew up not having her Dad around."
	"shut up," Jonny whispered shakily. The mist seemed 
more reassured now, as it playfully danced, twirled, and nipped  
at his ankles and his knees. Jonny covered his ears and closed 
his eyes as he stated Charles Wallace's words aloud, like a prayer 
of protection, "The Ecthroi will use anything within its reach to 
turn the odds against you..." 
	
	"You stole her father."

	"Your faults..."
	"It's no use."

	"Your memories..."
	"You can't fight it." 

	The dark mist grew more valiant with its efforts as it swirled 
even higher. Touching the boy every now and then with its seductive 
tendrils as it slowly collected into a dark mass behind him. The boy 
unaware of the oncoming assault as his mind's eye
flashed...

	//"Nooooo! I want to come too!" The little boy whined 
uncharacteristically as he clung to his father's arm
	The man picked his small son in his arms, "Jonny, Daddy's just 
going to a boring meeting for a little while. I'll be back soon 
and..."//


	"Your weaknesses..."
	//"I want to come too!" The little boy repeated stubbornly
	"Jonathan, don't be so difficult!" The man muttered under 
his breath as he glanced helplessly at wife.//	

	"Your resentments..."
	//She shook her head with an amused chuckle as she gently 
plucked  boy from his father's arms, "Sweetie, if you go with Daddy, 
Mommy will get lonely here all by herself." Her voice drops into a 
soft stage whisper, "And who's going to help Mommy fight all those 
monsters under the bed if you're not here?"
	Taking her cue, the man leaned over to meet his son's eye 
level, "That's right! When I'm not around, you're the man of the 
house so you're in charge. You promise to protect Mommy from all 
those bad monsters?"
	The little boy beamed at the importance of his responsibility 
and nodded enthusiastically, "I promise!"//
	
	"You never kept your promise, did you? Why are you bothering 
to save her now?" The little boy's real voice was replaced by his 
normal childish voice... hurt... betrayed, "You didn't come to save 
her then... You let her die."	
	The words hit him much more harder than any physical blow. 
Jonny fell to his knees as his mouth gaped open in a silent scream 
of grief. The dark mist howled in triumph and wrapped its tendrils 
around to engulf its newest victim.
	"That was too easy," The little boy laughed in that monotone 
again, "You really are so pathetic Iohanatan."
	"stop..." A soft whisper filtered into the child's ears
	The little boy frowned. 
	"Stop..." The older boy's voice repeated louder
	The little boy lifted the unfamiliar heavy weapon in his hands 
unsteadily, as he took his aim on his target, "Say goodbye Iohana---"
	His sentence was interrupted with the cry of pain that escaped 
involuntarily from his lips. The gun dropped harmlessly on the ground 
as the boy stared up at a pair of, now identical luminous blue eyes, 
staring down impassively at him. The child made an involuntary wince 
as he tried to force a laugh while the older boy still held on to his 
arm with unyielding painful pressure, "It would seem that I 
underestimated you, Iohanatan."
	"Stop pronouncing my name like that," Jonny replied coldly as 
he released the younger boy's arm to grab the child by the collar
	The child simply smiled, "Iohanatan.*" 
	 "You really want to die, don't you?" Jonny said monotonously, 
reflecting the child's smile. His hands wrapped around his younger 
image's throat, "Let me grant your wish."
	This was his sacrifice.
	He refused to let the Ecthroi win.
	He will not fail her this time.
	No matter what the cost.
	He will protect her with this sacrifice.
	And the Ecthroi will die slowly... suffer slowly... they 
deserved it...
	He slowly tightened his grip, religiously... like a sacred 
ritual. The child made no effort to struggle against him,  the little 
boy simply stared back in pure defiance, daring his captor to continue. 
So absorbed in his task, he almost missed it whispering desperately
from the back of his mind... 
	His voice of reason. From his mind's eye, its phantom 
materialized before him, looking him disapprovingly. [You never learn, 
do you Jonny?] 
	"Go away Hadji," Jonny hissed between his teeth, "I'm trying to 
stop them from killing my parents."
	[And doing exactly what they want you to do. Do you not 
understand, Jonny? They do not want your parents. They want to 
destroy you.]
	Jonny shook his head stubbornly, "I'm not going to let her 
die again."
	[Why do you have to be so stubborn?]
	"I'm punishing them for trying to hurt her again."
	[Let him go, Jonny.]
	"They deserve to be punished."
	[Let HIM go, Jonny.]
	"He deserves to be punished."
	[Let IT go, Jonny.]
	"HE deserves to be punished."

	[JONATHAN! STOP acting like a selfish idiot, THIS INSTANT!] 

	Jonny jumped at the command and found himself in another place. 
It was raining outside. He could hear the pitter-patter of the rain 
against the window sill. But instead of the dark street, the image of  
his father's familiar laboratory met his sights. And the angry blonde 
woman in his memories looking down sternly. She reached down and 
unclasped his tight grip on... two bottles of... finger-paint?
	"I know its upsetting to run out of green paint at a crucial 
moment," She said more gently now as she unscrewed the caps of both 
bottles, "But sulking and crying like a banshee is not going to solve 
anything." 
	He watched as she poured a portion of blue paint along with a 
portion of yellow in a small beaker, and mixed it with a stirring rod to 
create the much needed green goo. She bent down and looked at the level 
of her eyes with a serious expression, "You see? Sometimes, in life, in 
order to get what you want, Jonny, you have to be perceptive to look and 
work around a lot of things. You mustn't dwell on something you don't 
have or something you lost in the past, Sweetie." She smiled as she 
reached over to stroke his cheek, "Or you'll end up not getting 
anywhere at all."

	Jonny made no attempt to stop the silent flood from his eyes 
as the vision of his memory melted once again to remind him of his 
current crisis.  The darkness shrieked in fury as the boy loosened his 
hold on the child, and in turn... loosing their hold on the both of 
them... disappearing into the night... The child started to cough and 
cry uncontrollably at the sudden rush of air into his lungs. Fighting 
the growing nausea from the pit of his stomach, Jonny took the 
frightened child in his arms and started tried to soothe his fear. 
	"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Jonny whispered between sobs over 
and over in the little boy's ear. He felt the younger boy's arms move 
to give him a light hug, and his little hands pat him comfortingly on 
his back.
	It was then time had resumed.  The silence was replaced by 
the pitter-pattering of the rain, as well as the premonition of something 
resembling the sound of thunder.  The rain felt warmer now... warm 
like the similar drops that flowed from his eyes... washing over all 
of them. Jonny kept the boy protectively in his arms as he rose to his 
feet to face the confused expressions of his future parents. 
	The world shuddered again.
	"I kept my promise," Jonny called out to them with a smile
	She smiled back, not really understanding what he meant.
	It was the last treasured memory he had... as the final ripples 
caused by the storm washed over them... leaving only the calm smoothness 
of the placid waters.

(End of story)  
Comments, criticisms, bricks to inachan2@ican.net

Author's squawk:

	It's not really over until it's over, ne? ^_^.

* The actual spelling and "pronunciation" that I was aiming for was 
"Yehonatan" which is Hebrew for "God's gift". ALSO the original source 
of the name "Jonathan" as a little throw to the fact that the Echtroi 
and Madeleine L'Engle emphasized the importance of "ancient languages" 
in her series involving the Murrys. But I thought spelling it sorta like
the ancient Hebrew way (I believe "I's" are pronounced as "J" or "Y". 
Correct me if I'm wrong with you people more proficient with Hebrew) as 
something less obvious... not to mention looks kinda kewler and more 
mysterious... ^_^.	

Ja!
Ina-chan
***************************************************************************
Quote of the moment:

	"Cale, what if the pieces don't fit?"

	--- Rita, voicing out her concern the politest possible way regarding some
possible difficulties about being newly married to an alien from another
planet; 
	from "Invasion America: On the Run" by Christie Golden.
	
~@@@~
Ina-chan
inachan2@ican.net
main: http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/psycho/66
W.A.R.: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/1986
ICQ:13667820


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