Winter Solstice, Part 1
by Lia Faile
Devon muttered as she tossed onto her side and tucked her left hand under her pillow. Shivering, she fumbled for the covers with her right hand and yanked them up over her head. Suddenly the coldness was replaced by a wonderful warmth that radiated against her back and softly enveloped her from head to toe. Sighing, she burrowed back towards it. A strong male hand caressed upwards along her hip and across her stomach, then pulled her tight against the body it was attached to. Devon smiled and tangled her legs with his, stroking the hairy muscular calves with her feet. His hand grew bolder. It reached up to undo the buttons at her neck and slipped inside. His breath sounded harsh against her ear as he kissed it, then her neck. Still shivering but no longer from the cold, Devon felt her heart begin to race and her breath come in gasps. Not able to keep still and passive any longer, she turned towards him and started to return his caresses. She stroked his chest with her hands and face, enjoying the way his chest hairs tickled her nose. "Mmm...Shepard, you smell so clean."
He pulled her night shirt up over her head. Her arms settled down around his shoulders. Then her left hand snaked up to caress his stubbled face. Grabbing a fistful of hair, she pulled his face down towards hers. Tipping back her head so she could receive his kiss, Devon opened her eyes and smiled at her lover. Only instead of seeing the face of her dead spirit lover Shepard, Devon found herself gazing in shock into a much younger face with hazel eyes and a mop of unruly golden locks. A mischevious grin quirked his lips and spilled into his eyes causing one eyebrow to pop up playfully. A familiar raspy voice filled her roaring ears. "Still cold?" He leaned down and planted a light kiss on the tip of her nose, and lowered his head to her lips. Devon began to struggle against his heavy body trying to push him off her. "Oh, my God! DANZIGER!!!
Devon bolted up right holding trembling fingers against her mouth. She was alone. Slowly she lowered her forehead to her bent knees. She took several deep calming breaths. "It was only a dream. Just a dream." She kept repeating this quietly to herself as she rocked back and forth. Just then the door to her sleeping quarters banged open and a large body flew inside with gun drawn. Danziger tripped on something in the unfamiliar darkness and fell against the bed. Devon's scream repelled him backwards. Danziger landed on his rear. He shook his head in an attempt to stop his ears from ringing. Holding the Magpro in both hands he scanned the room for hidden criminals, Grendlers, or anything else that he could shoot. "Devon, you alright?!" If Devon had had any doubts before about the soundness of her heart she could put them to rest now. Clutching her throat, Devon felt the reassuring softness of her night shirt. Oh thank God! I still got my clothes on, was the first lucid thought that popped into her numb mind.
"John! What's the big idea coming in here scaring the wits out of me!" "ME?!" Danziger bellowed with an incredulous look on his face. "You're the one screaming your fool head off! I just came inside to get a cup of coffee before I relieved Baines on watch! Next thing I know, you're hollering for me like a banshee!" "Put that gun down before it goes off! My God, I bet you sleep with it!" Danziger squeezed his eyes shut. An image flashed behind them of him aiming his gun at her and gently pulling the trigger. That seemed to have a calming effect on him that brought a little smile to his lips. Yep, it could look like an accident. But no, when he finally went over the deep end he wanted Devon's demise to be more personal. Like with his hands wrapped around her neck. Yeah, he thought nodding to himself, it'd be much more satisfying that way. When Danziger opened his eyes, he wore a big grin on his face that could only be described as maniacal. It went nicely with his glazed eyes. Devon couldn't read his thoughts, but his expression was enough to caused her to assume a defensive crouch on the bed. Danziger lowered the gun. His eyes held hers captive. "As a matter of fact, I do sleep with my gun. Maybe if you slept with one I wouldn't have too worry so much when I hear you scream."
Devon's mouth worked soundlessly as she searched for a truly biting retort. "Mom?" Uly's sleepy form entered her bedroom from a smaller side room. "What's going on? I heard a lot of yelling." Uly shuffled over to his mother's bed, and sent Danziger a challenging look. He liked Danziger, but he didn't like finding him in his mother's bedroom late at night. Danziger started to get up when Baines pushed open the door knocking him down again. "Hey, what's going on?" Baines glanced down at the sprawled figure on the floor. "What are you doing on the floor, man?" "I dropped my comb." Came the sarcastic reply. Danziger waved Baines off. "Go on, I'll be right out." Devon gave Uly a reassuring hug. "It's okay sweetheart. Mommy just had a bad dream. Go on back to bed." She kissed his forehead and gave him a gentle push in the direction of his room. Uly headed back across the room staring hard at Danziger the entire way. Danziger gave Uly a weak smile and waggled his fingers in a gesture of good night. Nope, he definitely didn't like the idea of Danziger being alone in his mother's bedroom.
Devon was fussing with her bedcovers so she didn't notice Danziger get up and cross the floor to her bed until she felt his weight make the edge of it sag. "Nightmare, eh? Wanna talk about it?" "NO!" Devon felt her face burning at the thought of her dream. "Hey, you don't have to take my head off! Just thought talking about it might take the edge off it." Danziger lowered his head to get a better look at her. "You sure you're okay?" He placed his palm against her forehead. "You're burning up. Do you need Julia to check you out?" Devon jerked her head away. Given the circumstances, she felt uncomfortable with him so close. "No, thank you." "Ya sure?" Danziger asked as he began to absently tuck Devon's covers in. "Don't want you getting cold." Devon yanked the covers from Danziger and glared at him. "I'm _not_ a child! I do not need you to tuck me in! What are you going to do next, offer to get me a drink of water?" Danziger shot up from the bed and stood there clenching and unclenching his fists. "I can _see_ that you're not a child, although you have a hell of a knack for _acting_ like one." Then he turned on his heel, and banged open the door. "Pleasant dreams, Adair." He growled back over his shoulder. Mentally Danziger added "psycho-bitch" to his already long list of private nicknames he had for Devon as he stormed out into the frigid night.
A groggy and bleary eyed Devon Adair stumbled into the main dome room in search of that life saving elixir--coffee. Between the episodes with the dream Danziger and the real Danziger, she had laid awake all night too afraid of what might happen if she fell asleep again. Grasping the hot mug in both hands she inhaled the aroma of the coffee before she took her first sip. Glancing sureptistionly over the rim of her cup, Devon scanned the room. Thankfully, Danziger wasn't here. The few people that were cast some not so casual looks her way. So Baines had spread the word about last night already, huh? The young man was a bit of a gossip. Not in a malicious way, he just lacked tack.
"Good Morning!" Devon looked up to see Bess smiling down at her with a face that was just too angelic and glowing. For just one instant Devon hated her. Bess sat down across from her. "You look awful!" She blurted out. Then she flashed a coaxing smile at Devon. "I heard you had some sort of fight with Danziger. Do you want to talk about it?" Devon knew Bess was a sweet sincere girl, but frankly, given her choice in husbands Devon didn't think she was the best person to confide in. Yale had asked her if she was all right this morning too. She loved Yale, and trusted him with her life and Uly's. The thought of sharing her dream with him positively mortified her though. "No Bess, thank you. I just needed some coffee." Devon smiled and rose from the table and walked out the door. Leaving behind a disappointed Bess.
Devon stood outside the dome breathing in the crisp morning air. She seemed uncertain of what to do or which direction to go. Gnawing on her thumbnail, she came to a nervous decision. She headed towards the Med Tent. She needed to talk to someone. Right now Julia was her best bet.
Danziger awoke with a start, his lungs working furiously. He sat up shakily. His body was coated in a thick patina of sweat. Heart pounding so hard he could hear his blood roaring in his ears. "Aw, man!" He groaned as he ran a hand through his sweat soaked locks. Then he rubbed his face trying to clear his head and eyes. He hadn't had a dream like that since he was a kid! Danziger wiped his sweaty palm against his equally sweaty undershirt, accomplishing nothing. Grabbing it at the neckline he pulled the damp garment away from his chest in an attempt to cool off. He swung his feet over the side of the cot to the floor, and threw off the blanket. He was going to have to get cleaned up.
What are you doing up, Dad?" True stood just inside the tent with a matronly look on her face. Startled, Danziger nearly jumped out of his skin. He actually felt himself blushing. Swell, another thing that he thought he had grown out of. Coughing to disguise his discomfort, he quickly gathered the discarded blanket into his lap. "Hey, aren't you suppose to be in school?" Danziger winced at how harsh the question had come out. He really felt guilty when he saw the hurt look in her eyes. He gave her a smile to let her know he wasn't really pissed. "Sorry sweetheart. I just thought I'd make use of the short daytime to work on the generators. I don't have watch tonight, so I can sleep in tomorrow." Instantly forgiving her father, True's expression perked up. "I don't have to go to school. I could help you." Danziger shook his head. "No, you're a smart kid. You deserve more out of life than just slaving away in some blue collar ghetto." True knew better than to argue when her father got on his soapbox about her education. She knew he was just looking out for her, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "Okay." Reluctantly she walked out of the tent and headed to the Dome. Groaning, Danziger fell back onto the cot. He hid his eyes in the crook of his elbow; took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Adair, you're gonna be the death of me."
Julia was busy analyzing some local flora for potential medicinal uses. Her incomplete medical supplies were beginning to dwindle. If they didn't find any more Eden Project supply capsules, she was going to have to rely on G889's natural pharmacy. Meanwhile, Alonzo was busy seducing Julia.
The dark haired pilot leaned casually against the doctor's work table, crossed his arms and put on his most devastating grin and waited. And waited. His face started to get tired. He shifted his weight on the edge of the table jarring it. "Don't you have something you should be doing?" Julia didn't even glance up from her microscope when she asked that. Then would be Romeo decided to try another tactic. He moved behind her and placed on hand on the back of the chair and the other on the nape of her neck. He leaned downward until his lips brushed her ear. "So what makes this stuff more interesting than me, huh?" Sighing, Julia put down the slide she was preparing and rolled her sapphire eyes up to meet his dark cocoa ones.
Thrilled that he had finally won her attention away from the her work, he quickly plastered his lustful grin back on his face. Then lifted one eyebrow suggestively. Sighing again, Julia said, "I thought True and Uly were distracting when they were underfoot." "Ah, come on, Doc. It's been ages. A guy could sustain permanent ego damage if he thought he couldn't compete with bits of twigs and bark." He knelt down beside her, his expression playful. "It's only been two hours since we..." Julia's voice trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished. "Like I said. Ages."
The playfulness left Alonzo's face only to be replaced by a darker emotion. He reached up and gently grasped the front of her shirt. Julia allowed him to tug her face down to his. Her eyes began to dilate in response to his closeness. Alonzo softly brushed his lips against hers teasingly. Julia slide off the chair to her knees facing him. A little moan caught in her throat as she wrapped her arms around him pressing her body against his and deepened the kiss.
Alonzo clumsily tried to pull her to her feet without breaking the embrace. Their kisses became hungrier. He groaned as he unbuttoned her shirt with shaking hands. Julia gasped when she felt his rough warm hands stroking her flesh. She would have sunk back down to the floor if Alonzo hadn't been holding on to her. Slowly he guided her backwards towards the examination table.
Devon cleared her throat politely to make the groping couple aware that she was there. "Julia, do you have a moment?" Julia shoved Alonzo away from her and turned away to button and tuck in her shirt. The normally congenial pilot shot Devon a sour look. He started to say something rude, but stopped when he saw Devon's face. She looked really ill. Her eyes had dark circles under them and her face was exceptionally pale. "You sick, Devon?" Barely glancing at Alonzo Devon replied "No, I just need to talk to Julia. Alone, please." "Sure, Dev. I'll catch ya later, Doc!" Before Julia had a chance to move beyond his reach, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick, hard kiss that ended with a big smacking sound. He gave her a wink then spun around on his heel and swaggered out of the tent whistling.
A flustered Julia ran a shaky hand through her hair and gave Devon an embarrassed smile. Ignoring the little scene that had just played out before her, Devon got straight to the point. "I know you're a medical doctor, but you know about psychology too, right?" Julia nodded her head and replied cautiously. "Yes,...a little. Did you have something specific in mind?" Clearly nervous, Devon licked her lips and began to fidget with the instruments on Julia's lab table. Avoiding her gaze, she quietly said "Dreams."
Julia blinked. She knew the confining boredom of the winter camp might pose a mental threat to some. She expected to deal with depression, melancholy, and bottled up aggression. She hadn't thought about dreams or hallucinations. She also didn't expect Devon Adair to come to her with the first psychological complaint. This didn't bode well for the group if their leader was having some sort of breakdown. Remembering that Devon had experienced the Terrian Dream Plane, she thought maybe it had something to do with Devon's statement. "Dreams? Are you having Terrian dreams? Alonzo is the expert in that area. You may want to talk to him instead."
Devon's head snapped up, two red splotches brightened her cheeks. Oh, she bet that Alonzo would just _love_ to hear about her dreams! He would also enjoy teasing her unmercifully. The thought of telling the cocky pilot the specifics while he sat there smirking over her discomfort was unimaginable! "NO! I'm not having Terrian dreams! Just plain old human ones! I don't need to discuss anything with Alonzo!" "Well, okay. What was your dream about?" Devon opened her mouth to speak then closed it. She stepped closer to Julia, opened her mouth once more and said "I..." The sound of voices very close outside made Devon whip around nervously. She turned back to Julia with a pleading look in her eyes. "Can we go for a walk so we won't be disturbed?" Julia hadn't seen Devon this distraught since that night Uly had disappeared into the earth. She was extremely pale and excessively nervous. Her hands were trembling, her eyes were dilated and slightly glassy. Now Julia was really worried. She could barely manage with physical ailments. She wasn't equipped to deal with a fullblown phycosis. "Sure, just let me get my jacket."
end part 1
Story Notes:
Earth 2 and all its characters are the property of Universal and Amblin Entertainment. This story is in no way meant to be an infringement upon its copyrights. This story is purely for my amusement. Hopefully it will amuse you as well. Please feel free to share it with others if you like. However, any attempt to take this story and present it as your own will result in dire consequences. I will hunt you down, tie you up, and stuff rabid gerbils down your pants! If that's not enough, I will tell your mother on you!