Grace who is still faced with the same choice (so he believes). Save the world, get aboard the Hail Mary, or stay on earth and everything potentially dies, only this time he has something. He has a kindling romance again with Tom Ryder, and a friendship with his daughter, Evelyn, who can count to a hundred but mixes up her letters.
He has friends, family, a life he wants to keep living but if he chooses to live it, he risks it all.
Grace thinks about Evelyn, who is only five and so so bright, who could potentially be the smartest kid he knows (he's not biased, he swears-). He thinks about Colt and the news of Jodys own pregnancy. He thinks and he thinks and he thinks.
"I can't do it. My place is in the classroom."
"Stop pretending this is about your students, it's so insulting." But it is about his students. It was always about his students, and the fact that if he succeeds in space he will never get to see them succeed, never get to see Eve grow up and become something great.
And if he doesn't go, he may never get to see any of them grow up.
Cut to Tom who knows. Who has always known who the replacements would be, and has signed a very tight NDA about it. The second he heard word of the explosion, he knew what choice Ryland would be given and didn't know what to think about it.
If Ryland goes, Tom will never see him again.
If Ryland stays, Tom will never be able to forgive him again.
There are so many choices to be made and none of them are the right one, none of them are a good one. But then Tom sees the news.
Astronauts Ilyukhina, Yao, and Ryland sent to space to find the cure for astrophage. He's given his scripts. He's made to smile, to act, to be grateful towards their heros.
Tom has to pretend it doesn't break his heart when he hears Evelyn run to the door everytime someone knocks, excitedly screaming for "Rylie!!!" Who is never going to knock on his door again. He pretends not to break down at night after he's tucked his daughter into bed and forced himself into his own, scrolling through images after images of Ryland with Evelyn, of his smiling, beautiful face.
He pretends to believe when they tell him Ryland went of his own accord. He pretends not to know in his heart that Ryland was of all things, a coward.
Ryland ran away from their relationship once, seven years ago. They found their way back to eachother, eventually, but...
There was no finding their way back now.
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