Choices by Tara OShea

[Reviews - 0]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer

- Text Size +

Music filled the night. Mitchell, the head of Security, had brought his trumpet, Collins from the colony ship Ops crew had his keyboard, and Susan Michaels as it turned out had quite the repertoire of jazz and swing memorised. At Bess's urging, Morgan had given up the drum set to a colonist who was happily tapping out the beat. To round out the group, Justine Collins, who in addition to being the best com-tech money could buy, had a Bass that seemed bigger than she was. What she had given up so that she didn't exceed the personal cargo allowance on the colony ship, no one knew, but rumours were flying.

Bess'd had a field day, Devon could tell. Lumalights encased in paper lanterns were strung along poles to light what would be the back garden, which unfortunately now that it had been cleared of lumber, supplies, and tools, resembled a vacant lot. But that would change, Morgan was already trying to figure out what he could barter for ten square yards of sod.

Inside, the sawdust had been swept away and drop cloths folded neatly and stacked. Fresh flowers peeked out from every corner, all manner of vessels doubling for vases. A paint can here, a plastic drink bottle there. The downstairs floors would be scrubbed and stained tomorrow, but for now, the dining room was a dance floor.

Devon set down her cup of punch and watched Uly trying to convince True the Terrians had taught him how to dance. True seemed less than impressed, and Devon didn't blame her. Her son was all knees and elbows, and until he grew into his puppy feet, as Danziger called them, his coordination as far as the foxtrot went was pretty much shot.

"Hey, pretty lady, any room on your dance card?" A set of arms slipped around her waist, and Devon grinned, leaning back against Danziger's chest. He kissed her temple.

"Let me check." Devon mimed reading a slip of paper, and his chuckle stirred her hair. "What do you know? It seems I'm free all evening."

"Not any more," he growled, and pulled her out onto the floor.

Alonzo watched the couples as they moved in time to the music. Morgan and Bess were lost in each other's eyes, and Walman spun Ethelyn Abellanosa around, the Ops crew technician's long black hair swaying as she laughed at some comment that the pilot couldn't overhear. Magus and Cameron had a small circle of admirers watching them, and he had to admit, they were pretty good. Devon and John danced close, and seeing them, even as happy as he was for them, touched an ache deep inside him.

"Hey, Ace." Sheila Willis touched his shoulder, and he started. "You look you you're a million miles away."

"Not really," he said softly.
"Look, um, that stuff I said, you know I didn't mean all of it."

"Yes, you did," Alonzo smiled at her, and she shrugged, capitulating.

"Okay, I did. But I didn't mean to mess anything up for you, really."

"I know." He looked out the window, past the milling partygoers, and as Susan sang of cursing wasted chances, his eyes fastened on one lone figure nursing a cup of punch out beyond the last lantern.

"Go on," Sheila poked him in the shoulder. "You know you want to. And I bet you two would have amazingly cute kids, and a picket fence isn't all that bad, really."

Alonzo grinned, and kissed her on the cheek. She managed to control the flush that crept up her neck by sheer force of will, but there were times when she really envied that pretty little doctor.

"You really are amazing, Sheila."
"Yeah, I know. Humble too. Get outta here, flyboy."

Danziger spun Devon out, and she laughed. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and the next thing he knew Ethelyn was grinning at him, and Walman was bowing to Devon, and taking her hands.

"Hey! I thought you were supposed to ask before you cut in!" Danziger groused good naturedly, but Walman ignored him.

"Come on, Danz, give him a break. And besides, that gives me a chance to dance with *you*. I haven't seen you since, what, that crystal run in '89? Tomorrow I'll be gone forever, and to top it all off, it's my birthday, so you have to do what I say."

"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Abellanosa grinned, and Danziger dipped her.

"What's on your mind, Walman?" Devon asked as her twirled her around the floor, keeping watch on Danziger out of the corner of her eye. Abellanosa seemed to be keeping him busy.

"So, you two finally saw the light, huh?" "Yeah, I guess you could say that." Devon blushed, and Walman smiled sheepishly.

"Look, I know it's not any of my business, but I'd glad. I mean it. Danziger's a good guy."

"So, we've got the Walman seal of approval?" Devon chuckled. "Seriously, Dev. You don't know what he went through, you know, when we thought we were going to lose you. He would have stayed there, at that ship, forever. Something about not wanting you to wake up and be alone, left behind. That you weren't afraid of the dark--?"

Devon swallowed, and smiled, her chest suddenly tight. God, they'd wasted a lot of time. "Thanks, Walman."

"Hey, I figure you two deserve the best, just the best of everything. And I wanted to let you know that." He dipped her, and she looked up to see Danziger towering over the bartender.

"Hi John," Devon giggled, and Walman pulled her back up and solemnly stepped back so John could take her in his arms once again.

"What was that all about?" he asked as Walman and Abellanosa headed over to the punchbowl.

"Nothing," Devon smiled, and leaned forward and kissed him. Danziger was pleasantly surprised. "What was that for, Adair?" "Just because, Danziger. Just because."

Julia sat on a plastic supply crate, one she recognised from the long journey here to New Pacifica that now held Morgan's tools. She watched the party from afar, not really feeling all that festive tonight. Perhaps she shouldn't have come.

"Do you know when I first saw you?" Alonzo's voice cut through her thoughts, and she chided herself for not noticing his approach.

"It was at the big shindig Devon threw the night before we loaded the families aboard the colony ship." Alonzo sat down beside her, but continued to look out over the darkened valley, lights in the windows of the dormitories and Hotel, and Devon's office like fireflies. She watched him as he smiled. "I was there with some little redhead com-tech who kept gushing about the Amazing Ms. Adair. I swear she knew their entire family history, like Devon was royalty or something. I remember seeing you in a corner, as Dr. Vasquez smiled and sipped his drink and mingled. All the other members of his team were paired off, but you just stood there alone, your hair swept up all fancy and this blue dress that looked like something my mother would have worn."

"Hey!" Julia remembered that dress. It had been left behind when she'd had to evacuate the advance ship.

Alonzo chuckled, and continued. "And Suzie the com-tech, or whatever her name was, just disappeared. All I could think was 'I have to get to know that girl.' You looked perfect, and poised, and lonely."

"What, you like the needy types?"
"I didn't say that. Just that you looked so alone, as if you weren't really connected to anything, just in a world all by yourself. And you looked happy there. Maybe not happy, but at least you had control of that little world. Its borders were really well defined, and I couldn't get up the courage to make a run at them that night. But I remembered, see? I remembered wanting to go over and talk to you, and find out if all of it was just in my mind, or if you really were that self-sufficient, that in control. Maybe I just wanted to throw you a curveball, I don't know. But I'll always remember that. I never thought, in that moment, that I'd be sitting with you on a planet light years away, under two moons, and not be able to picture my life without you." He looked over at her, cupping her cheek in his hand, and ran his fingers along the curve of her jaw, her lips parting beneath his thumb as she breathed.

"I love you, Julia, and that is never going to change." He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away, blue eyes sparkling with tears held in check by sheer force of will. She ran her fingers through her hair in a frustrated gesture, letting them get caught in the tangled curls the wind had blown.

"I let you in. Do you know how hard that was? I never believed it could happen, that anyone could love me for me. That anyone could see *me*. Not the Doctor. Not Citizen Heller, Patriot to the Council. Me. And it scared me so much, that you could actually love me, and every day I wait for you to wake up and... and I'll lose you because...."

"Because what, Julia? Because you don't deserve it? Because I'll suddenly see what everyone else must have seen, to make them leave you? I promised you once I'd never break your heart, and I'll be damned if I'll go back on that promise."

"I know I shouldn't be afraid. It's not you, Alonzo, it's me." She met his eyes, falling into their depths. "I love you. And instead of being afraid of breaking that promise, I just never made it, thinking that somehow things would be better that way. But they weren't. Maybe you shouldn't love me, I'm such a mess."

"That's one of your most endearing qualities, your messiness. It gives me something to look forward to, inch by inch helping you fix the mess. You're worth it, Doc. I know you are, even if you don't believe it yet. And I'm willing to spend another two years, another two hundred years, by your side."

"Is that a proposal?"
"If I said yes, would you counter with forever?" "I don't know. I don't know what forever means." "Then how about we take each day as it comes. And if we suddenly find that all those days end to end seem like forever, then we'll see. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good." She nodded, and he folded her in his arms, kissing her hair. "That sounds really good."

"I have an announcement to make," Baines stepped in front of the band, who protested loudly, but with smiles. Teresa joined him, the two of them locking hands. "I just wanted to let you all know that as much as I've bitched and moaned over the past two years, you all have become my family--"

"Our family," Gomez added, and Baines squeezed her hand, smiling. "And we're going to miss you all very much."

"We've thought about this a lot over the past few months, hell, past two years. Staying here, trying to carve out a life here. But we want to go back, want to see what all's happened, and who knows? Maybe we will be back, on the next colony ship. And there will be. Okay, fifty years from now--"

"You just want to see us old and grey, huh, Baines?" Magus called out, and Baines lowered his head, smiling.

"We don't know what the future will bring. We don't even know what twenty years has done back on the Stations, what forty years will do. But we have to see. This place has a lot of memories for me, for us. And I swear, not all of them were bad," Teresa's eyes clouded a little as she thought of Eben. "And I know I did a hell of a lot more here than I ever could have as a drone--sorry Devon," Teresa laughed as Devon flinched at the words more out of habit than anything else, "and for that, I'm really grateful. But I want to go back and see for myself, plus I'm kinda curious to see if my account's earned any interest since I've been gone." There was a chorus of laughter and clapping, and Baines raised his hand so he could speak again, and they quieted.

"We just wanted to let you all know that we're gonna miss you." Baines said simply, and then they stepped down.

"I wish they weren't going," Devon said softly, her voice pitched so only Danziger could hear, and he hugged her.

"I know."

You must login (register) to review.