So Roy expires and Deckard runs to the north with Rachael. What next? Do they escape to live happily ever after or do other Blade Runner's catch them? This is where the multiple cut issue really becomes prevalent, but we'll strive to keep things simple. The theatrical version and its ilk end on a scene of Rachael and Deckard driving north though the countryside, with some narration tying up all the issues nicely.
Gaff had been there, and let her live. Four years, he figured. He was wrong. Tyrell had told me Rachael was special. No termination date. I didn't know how long we had together. Who does?
So essentially that's the ideal situation with nothing actively working against their future. However, as this isn't viewed as the definitive version of the film it only exists as one possibility. And the other possibilities are more interesting. Narration-less versions (the workprint for those keeping track) of the scene are less overt and maintain an ambiguity to the character's future, while the later edits don't contain this scene at all, with the credits starting the moment the elevator doors close on Deckard. Obviously the latter leaves whether they'll even make it to the countryside up in the air, but both of these endings are open to interpretation; are they really free? These hinge heavily on how you read Gaff's line to Deckard just after his fight, "it's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?" The theatrical version gave its own take on it, but without the voice-over there's multiple ways to read it, which require us to look at one specific moment.
