Choices by Tara OShea

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Breakfast was an interesting affair. When Devon came down from her quarters, the first thing she noticed was Julia and Alonzo.

Or rather, the fact that they were no longer Julia and Alonzo, but Julia, sitting off in one corner, and Alonzo, standing over by the window sipping coffee.

Neither one looked particularly happy. She disappeared into the kitchen, and found Danziger making coffee, the rest of Eden Advance clustered around the coffee pot, just like old times.

"What happened?" she whispered, and Danziger shrugged, leaning against the counter and sipping from his mug.

"Alonzo moved out," Morgan said matter of factly, pouring himself a cup, and another for Bess.

"You're kidding." Devon's eyebrows shot upwards, and as the door swung inward, they all froze. Julia didn't look at any of them as she refilled her cup. Devon laid a hand on her forearm as the doctor pased, and was shocked at how empty the blue eyes staring back at her had become.

"Julia, I need to talk to you later, could you come by my office?"

"Yes, of course." All business. Devon blinked. Julia turned on her heel and left, and Morgan *tsk*ed. "Trouble in paradise," he surmised, and Bess punched him in the shoulder.

"I hope she's okay," Bess looked at the door Julia had just exited and twisted a curl around her finger.

"God, you're all amazing, you know that?" Danziger set down his cup and glared at all of them. "I can't believe we all in here picking apart their relationship, when it's none of our damn business anyway!"

"John's right," Devon admitted, a little flustered. But she couldn't help it, they had all spent two years watching Alonzo and Julia's relationship unfold, and it seemed off now to realise that they deserved more privacy than they were getting. "I'm sure they'll work things out."

Devon set her cup in the sink, and moved to go, but Bess laid a hand on her forearm. "I know it's not any of my business, but at least try to talk to her?" she whispered. "I'm worried, I think there's a lot here we don't know about."

"I'll do my best." Devon gave Bess's hand a squeeze. Morgan came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and she leaned back against him. "C'mon, honey, it's going to be a long day. I want to see if I can get the banister for the front stairs up and finished."

"My husband the workaholic," Bess giggled in amazement, and he kissed her temple, bounding off in the direction of the ATV, which had been loaded with fresh lumber. "Who'd have thought?"

Danziger watched Alonzo. He couldn't help it. The pilot had singlehandedly loaded the Transrover with enough lumber to finish the Martin house, and start three more. Okay, maybe not that much, but just watching him made Danziger's arms ache.

And he hadn't said a word all day. "Hey, buddy, why don't you take a break?" Alonzo ignored him, striping off his sweat soaked shirt, and poured a cup of water over his head. He ran his fingers through his hair, and tugged his gloves back on, reaching for another board.

"I promised Walman I'd help him with the refrigeration system in the storeroom today, so I gotta finish this."

"It'll keep."
"There's a lot to do around her, Danziger, in case you haven't noticed."

"Why the rush?"
"I am not rushing, I just felt like moving around, getting stuff done today."

"Hey, it's not that I don't appreciate the help. But at this rate you'll be flat on your back with heatstroke in the Hospital by lunchtime. Unless the Hospital is where you want to be...?"

"I'm fine," Alonzo snapped, and Danziger shook his head. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"You two have been through an awful lot--" "It's none of your damn business!" Alonzo slammed the board on top of the stack in the back of the 'Rover.

"Fine," Danziger muttered. At least he'd tried. he hoped Adair was having better luck talking to Julia.

Julia lifted her hand to knock, and the door opened from the inside just as her knuckles grazed the wood.

"I was just about to go look for you," Devon said cheerfully. "Come on in. How are the children?"

"Hopeful. Alive." Julia didn't know what else to say. The children weren't the problem.

"Sit down," Devon was in full Mother Hen mode, graciously gesturing to the empty chair with an open hand, and all of Julia's warning klaxons went off. She sat down, wary, and Devon wanted very badly to somehow reassure the young doctor. She just had no idea how. "How are you?"

"I'm fine."
"Are you?"
"Devon..." Julia got up again, not able to stay confined in the chair, "I appreciate what you're trying to do--"

"We're all worried about you, Julia." "There's nothing to be worried about!" she snapped, but Devon wasn't about to back down.

"Morgan said Alonzo moved out into another room last night." Okay, so much for subtlety. Maybe attacking the problem head on was what the situation warranted. It sure as hell better be, because Devon couldn't turn back now.

Julia stared at her, with a sort of helpless look caught between anger and sorrow. Her shoulders slumped, and Devon got up from behind her desk, carefully laying a hand on Julia's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Do you want to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"You'll feel better. It's keeping it bottled up inside that hurts so much."

"No," Julia started, and then stopped again. It would be so easy... The mask slipped back into place, and Julia squared her shoulders. "As I said, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this is something that if were are to work it out, it would have to be on our own."

"I think of you as one of my closest friends, Julia, and I want you to know that you can come to me with anything. That I'm here for you, when you think you're ready."

Julia simply nodded. As the door clicked shut behind her, Devon wilted, sinking onto the desk. She stared at the door, hoping John had made better headway with Alonzo.

"God, she's changed." Susan Michaels shook her head, and Robert Lavode leaned in closer. Not that the Grinning Grendler was all that crowded, but he still didn't want to be overheard. They had just gotten off shift, relived by two of Vasquez's younger interns, and Susan was convinced Julia was possessed. There was simply no other explanation.

"How so?"
"You mean, you can't see it?"
"Seems like the same old Ice Princess to me." "Okay, maybe *today*. But up until this morning, it was like she was a whole different person, you know? My God, I'd never have the balls to stand up to Vasquez the way she has, skewed chromosomes or no."

"You think that has something to do with it?" "Nah, if that were so, she never would have let him stick her with the grunt work in the first place. I'm not saying I don't enjoy my seniority, but even if she was the most junior member of the team, she was already a better doctor than half the guys I worked with during my residency."

"Yeah, yeah, Cum Laude Diagnostic Analysis, I remember." Robert felt he had to defend Dr. Vasquez to a certain degree. After all, he had worked with the man for six years. "But I'm still confused, you think she's changed. How?"

"Okay, lemme give you an example. Used to be, she wouldn't volunteer anything. *Nada*. And if she did, it was either like she was sorry for knowing as much as she did, or it was textbook perfect, like she wasn't a person, but, like a toy. Wind the key, let it go, and watch it heal everything in its path."

"Jesus, Susan, what a mental image." "If you can't see it, then you're a lost cause, Rob." "See what?"
"I mean, before this week, I couldn't even picture her with a hair out of place, let alone hiking six thousand kilometres across an alien planet with minimal supplies, sleeping in tents, scavenging for food."

"Well, it's not like she was alone," Rob lifted an eyebrow, and Susan shifted her weight forward, leaning across the table with a conspiratorial air glossing over her sheer enthusiasm.

"Oh my, that pilot sure is a piece of work, isn't he?" "I wouldn't know," Rob laughed. "I don't notice that kind of thing."

"She sure picked the right guy to get stranded with. Great body, great smile, dimples to die for," Susan whistled, and Rob elbowed her.

"Jesus, Suze, keep it down. This is embarrassing. We're talking about a colleague here, another member of the staff, not some steamy afternoon holovid serial."

"Well, who would you rather work for?" "I can't believe you're actually asking that question. Okay, fine, she has two years field experience--"

"Something's coming, Rob. You wait and see." Susan delivered this prophesy with a wink, and Lavode simply smiled into his beer. He'd believe it when he saw it.

True fell into bed, completely exhausted. Danziger tugged off her shoes, and she squirmed.

"Dad, I can do that myself."
"You need to brush your teeth and shower before crashing, kiddo."

"Can I just stop at the teeth?" A yawn split her face. "You'll stink the bed up."
"I don't stink!"
"Maybe the horses don't think so, but we humans might notice. It'll only take a minute."

"But the water takes forever to warm up." "You should have thought of that before you decided to spend five hours trying to teach a big dumb animal she really does want someone sitting on her back, tugging at the do-hickey in her mouth everything three seconds."

"Yale said Cloud'll learn really fast, and then other people besides me can ride her. He said if Starchaser is broken in as easily, we can ride up to the Morgan's next week."

"Yale said that, huh?" Danziger looked sceptical. he hadn't been crazy about the idea of horses the first time around, and little had changed in the intervening two years. Anything that stood on your foot until you shoved it off was just too dumb for him to handle. At least you could tell a 'droid, 'hey that's my foot!' But a horse would just keep looking right back at you, wondering no doubt why you were turning that particular shade of purple. Or not wondering at all. "Well, we'll see."

"She goes so fast, Dad. She's just amazing." "I'm sure she is sweetheart. Now scoot before you fall asleep on your feet."

"It's all the fresh air and exercise," she said knowingly, and he shrugged.

"Whatever you say, kiddo. C'mon, the faster you get cleaned up, the faster we get you fed and tucked in."

"*Daaaad*, you don't have to 'tuck me in' anymore, I'm a big girl." True rolled her eyes, and Danziger chuckled.

"Don't I know it." He got up off her bed, and running a hand through his hair, headed for the door.

"Where're you going?"
"Just need to talk to Devon."

Max Taggert was having the best dream of his young life. He could taste the salt tang of the sea as he raced along the beach, leaving the other children far behind. His small legs and arms pumping, and his heart racing, he ran and ran...

Uly crawled out of bed, seeing his mother's cot empty, and in stocking feet slipped past Yale's door. A ribbon of light glowed at the bottom of the door, but the cyborg had fallen asleep while working before. Uly didn't dare breathe until he made it down the back stairs of the Common.

Lights were on in the Grinning Grendler, the colony ships' Ops crew had made it their haven once the moons rose, and they were getting as much of the homebrew as they could metabolise before heading back on the ship to the Stations, and a life of synthetics and recycled air.

The moons were high in the sky, and touched each blade of grass with silver as Uly picked his way across the empty field that would someday be a school, and maybe even shops, towards the Hospital.

The Terrian swam to the surface, and appeared before the boy, cocking its head, and Uly trilled a response.

Alonzo's eyes snapped open, and he threw back the thin bedspread, tugging on his shoes. He knew what he'd find when he entered the children's ward, but he ran anyway.

He was out of breath when he finally fell into the entryway. Hanako sat at the desk, her head pillowed on her crossed arms, and Dr. Helen Collier sat near Max Taggert's bed, also dozing. Her diaglove will still blinking, as if she had been checking the boy's vitals when sleep overcame her.

And the beds were all empty.

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