Yesterday's return by Maggie C

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Yesterday's Return (7/8)
by Maggie C

Okay, since hotmail has gone wacko on me (or maybe it's my internet provider, who knows) I cannot get to my messages! :( But, since I wanted to send out the rest of my story, I stole the use of my brother's email. :) I'm sure he won't mind. If I decide to tell him, that is.

Morgan had finally convinced Bess to come back to camp. Although he had a feeling the only reason Bess came back was to get away from his nagging for a while, he didn't care. At least she was going to rest back at camp now.

They walked toward camp in silence. They were almost there when they heard a commotion from camp. Morgan looked at Bess in confusion and she returned the look. All of a sudden, True came crashing into Morgan, almost knocking him over. He grabbed her to steady himself and she struggled to get free. "Let me go!" she yelled. "I have to go find them!"

Morgan kept his hold on the girl. He was about to scold her for not watching where she was going, but then Alonzo, Uly, and Julia came running after her. "True, thank goodness." Julia said.

Alonzo knelt down to True's level. "Look, don't worry, your dad's going to be fine. He'll get Devon and they'll be back before you know it."

Morgan and Bess stared at them in shock. "What are you talking about?" Morgan asked. "Danziger's awake? And he went to find Devon?"

Julia nodded at them. "Yes, he's awake. It's a long story."

Alonzo broke in. "What are you doing back so soon, anyway?" Morgan and Bess shared a look, and Bess replied. "Um, I wanted to talk to Julia. I'll tell you later," she said to Julia's questioning gaze.

"Alright," Julia said. "Come on, we'll fill you in on what happened." True looked like she wanted to run off again, but Morgan's hands were still on her shoulders and someone was bound to catch her if she tried to run, so she just grimaced and went back to camp.

The Terrian and John erupted out of the earth right outside the cave. John was disoriented for a second, and then he heard Devon's cries from inside the cave. He quickly ran inside and saw Gibson trying to pin Devon to the ground. She was thrashing violently, trying to keep him away. Her hands, bound at the wrists, hampered her efforts. Letting out a yell, John grabbed Gibson and pulled him off of her. He spun Gibson around to face him. He was too surprised to put up much of a fight. Pinning Gibson's arms to his sides, John growled at him in his most threatening voice. "I told you to stay away from her." That said, he swung his fist and hit him in the face. As Gibson dropped to the ground, unconscious, John grabbed the Terrian bone and sunstone necklace, ripping it of his neck and tossing it across the cave floor. As soon as the necklace was torn from his neck, Gibson was pulled underneath the earth.

With Gibson out of the way, he turned his attention to Devon. He went to her and knelt beside her. She was staring at him in surprise and shock. John immediately started working on freeing her hands. When that was done, he brought them to his lips for a kiss and then started slowly rubbing them with his own hands, to get her circulation going again. Looking at her in concern, he asked, "Devon, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" She didn't respond. After a moment, she pulled one of her hands free and gingerly reached for his face. She pulled her hand back before she reached it, as if she was afraid he'd disappear. "John?" she asked shakily. John laid his hand against her cheek, completing the motion she did not. "Devon, it's alright. It's me, I'm here."

He was all right. He was awake. John was kneeling in front of her, looking at her worriedly, and it wasn't a dream. All the emotions she had tried to suppress started surfacing. The loneliness, the fear she had felt for John these past few weeks and the terror she had just now felt for herself. Tears welled up in her eyes. John saw this and pulled her close. She clung to him while he wrapped his arms tighter around her. "John, I was so scared, he tried..." her voice broke and she let it all out as she cried shamelessly against his shoulder.

John held her tightly. "It's okay, Dev, I'm here now. No one's going to hurt you." He whispered soothingly against her hair as she cried. The memories of his dream still haunted him, and then knowing she was in that shanking bastard's hands, even for a short time. "Devon, did he...?" He couldn't bring himself to ask the question.

"No," Devon replied, her flood of tears and emotions ebbing, though she still held tight to John. "He didn't have a chance." With John's strong arms wrapped around her, Devon felt safe again. She drew back so she could look at him. With a feather-light touch, she ran her hand across his face, from his forehead to his square jaw. Abruptly, she pulled his face down and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. John was surprised for a moment (but only a moment) and then returned the kiss with equal passion. He closed his eyes and the only thing he was aware of was Devon and her mouth as it moved against his. After a time they parted, both of them breathless from the kiss.

John smiled and touched his forehead to hers. "Now, what was that for?" he asked.

"I missed you," Devon said simply.

"Oh, so you noticed I was gone?" he returned playfully, leaning back on his heels.

She shook her head and smiled. "If you ever scare me like that again..." she let the threat trail off.

"Don't worry, I don't ever want to go through that again," John replied, grimacing as he remembered the nightmare he experienced on the dreamplane. Devon was silent, and John looked up to see sympathetic understanding in her eyes. He squeezed her hand and asked, "You know?" She nodded, and he let out a shaky breath. "God, it was so *real*. I was convinced that you and True were dead," he whispered.

Devon reached out a hand to caress his cheek. He returned her half-smile with one of his own. "How did you finally remember?" she asked.

This brought a full smile to John's face. "Well, after I nearly punched Alonzo out for trying to explain it all," he said, "Uly came on the dreamplane. He was able to show me what was really going on." John shook his head. "He's something else, you know?"

Devon smiled at him and was about to reply when she remembered. Kids. "Oh no," Devon said frantically, "True. We've got to find her."

"Don't worry, True's fine, she's back at camp," John reassured her.

"You saw her?" Devon asked. John nodded and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait," Devon asked skeptically, "how did you get here so quickly?"

"Oh, that. Well," he stood and led her outside. The Terrian was still standing there, waiting. "He gave me a ride."

Devon looked at him, surprised. "He did?" she asked.

"Yeah, and I'm hoping he'll give us a ride back, seeing as how I don't have a clue where we are." The Terrian trilled, pointed towards the woods, and sank into the earth. John stared at the mound of displaced soil. "Or, we could walk back," he said.

Devon suppressed a laugh at the expression on John's face. "Well, I suppose we'd better get going," she said. "We were walking for a long time last night. It will take us a while to get back to camp."

"Yeah," John agreed, "but I'd better call camp, let them know we're okay." He reached into his pocket and withdrew the gear set.

Devon looked at him with an amused expression. "You mean, you actually remembered to bring your gear for once?" she teased. John shot her a look as he adjusted the set on his head and Devon laughed. She stood off to the side, quiet, so he could talk to camp.

John activated the gear. "Danziger to camp," he said. "Anybody home?"

"John!" Julia's relieved voice floated over the channel. "Are you all right? Did you find Devon?"

Danziger smiled. "Yeah, I found her. You can call back the search parties. We're both fine."

Julia returned the smile. "That's great!" she exclaimed. "What about Gibson?"

"He's taken care of," John said abruptly. It was clear he didn't want to comment further.

"So, when should you guys get back?" asked Alonzo, who decided to join the conversation.

"Not for a while," Danz replied. "Few hours, at least." Alonzo grinned, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "Oh don't give me that look, Solace." He rolled his eyes at the pilot. "We've got a long way to walk." Alonzo just kept grinning that same grin. John was going to continue protesting, but his eye caught a reading on the gear screen. "Damn," he said.

"What is it?" three voices asked him at once. Danziger smiled at that, but the smile quickly faded. "This gear's charge is almost gone. We won't be able to call in again." Julia and Alonzo looked worried, and Devon came over and squeezed his hand. He smiled at her and squeezed back. "Don't worry," he said to Julia and Alonzo. "Tell the kids and everyone that we'll be back as soon as we can." They both nodded. "Danziger out." He reached up and deactivated the gear. He examined it closely, and said, "Well, that was it for this set. At least until we get it recharged."

Devon, still holding his hand, said, "So, I guess we'd better get going, right?" As she gazed at him, a part of her wanted nothing more than to stay here and continue what they started with the kiss in the cave. Three weeks, after all, was a long time. But another voice, louder for the moment, told her that everyone would be waiting for them back in camp, and there wasn't time right now, but there would be later.

John turned his head and looked at her. His breath caught in her throat as he once again realized how beautiful she was. After that kiss in the cave, her nearness was playing havoc with his senses. Slowly, he met her eyes. In them he saw a reflection of his own desire. But everyone was waiting, and he silently promised her later. "Yeah, we'd better start back," he said, not breaking the mesmerizing gaze between them.

"Yeah," Devon agreed. ~Later,~ she thought. Then they started walking, hands still joined, in the direction the Terrian had pointed.

Yale and Matazl were searching to the north of camp, unsuccessful in finding any trace of Devon or True, when their gear beeped. Yale quickly activated his set. "Any word?" he asked anxiously. Julia was on the other end, and she smiled at him. "Yes, everyone's okay. True's back, and Danziger's awake. He and Devon will be back in camp soon."

A wide grin broke out over Yale's face. He glanced at Matazl, who was also grinning. "That's great!"

Julia nodded in agreement. "We're calling everyone back to camp. We'll tell you the whole story then. Julia out."

Yale deactivated his gear set, and saw Matazl doing the same. Yale felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Although he didn't understand how yet, True, Devon, and John were all okay. He and Matazl hurried back to camp to hear the rest of the story.

Devon and John walked back to camp, hand in hand, at a leisurely pace. They had talked about what happened to John on the dreamplane. John described the dream from his point of view, and he also told Devon how Uly helped him to remember the truth and how he had eventually gotten off the dreamplane. Devon caught John up on what he had missed while he was unconscious, but now they just walked in silence. Devon looked down and she grinned. "John, your shoe's untied."

John looked at her skeptically. The old joke had somehow survived through the centuries.

"No, it's really untied," she said. He looked down and saw that she was right. His left boot was undone. He bent to tie it, and Devon kept walking.

"Hey, wait up," John said, finishing quickly.

Devon turned and smiled at him, but kept walking backwards. "Come on, don't tell me... oomph!" Since she wasn't watching where she was going, Devon stepped on a loose log and lost her balance, falling backwards. One minute she was talking to John, and the next she was staring up at the sky.

"Devon, are you okay?" John asked.

There was something in the tone of his voice. Like he was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. Devon propped herself up on her elbows to look at him, and sure enough, he was hiding a grin. She glared at him and he started laughing. She glared at him harder. "Oh, quit laughing and help me up." Still chuckling, he came over and held out a hand to help her up. He pulled her to her feet, and she let out a cry. She would have fallen again if John hadn't been there to catch her.

"What is it Dev?" he asked, his amusement fading and concern taking its place. He lowered her to a sitting position and crouched beside her.

"My ankle." She winced. "I must have landed on it wrong when I fell."

"Let me see." John examined her ankle. ~I wish the gear worked,~ he thought. Now would be a perfect time to call Julia and ask her if Devon's injury was serious or not. "Well, it doesn't look broken, at least," he said.

Devon looked at him, exasperated. "It's not broken. My ankle will be fine in a minute." She stood up, careful not to put any weight on her injured foot. "Come on, let's go."

He watched her, concerned. "Devon, I don't know. Maybe you shouldn't walk on your ankle, it might make it worse. I could carry you," he offered.

She leaned against a tree and glared at him again. "No, I can walk. My ankle will be fine, I do not need to be carried."

John sighed. She was being stubborn again, as usual. He shook his head and went over to her so she could lean on him. They started towards camp. It was slow going, because Devon was favoring her ankle considerably. She winced in pain every time she put even the slightest pressure on it. After a minute, he said, "Devon, it's not getting any better. Are you sure that you don't..."

"I'm fine!" she interrupted, concentrating on putting as little pressure as possible on her ankle. She stepped on it lightly, and even that slight pressure caused a wince of pain that Devon couldn't contain.

John saw her wince in pain again. ~Oh this is ridiculous,~ he thought. Before she could protest, he lifted her up into his arms.

"Hey!" she complained. She glared at him yet again. "My ankle is fine. Put me down so I can walk."

He glared right back at her and started walking. "Sure your ankle is fine. That's why you're wincing in pain with each step."

They continued to glare at each other, the same thought running through their minds. ~He/She is so stubborn!~

Devon opened her mouth to continue arguing, and then suddenly wondered why she was arguing at all. The truth was, she didn't think she could walk all that far anyway. And if the alternative was being carried in John's arms, why was she complaining? She sighed and leaned against him. "All right," she conceded.

John stopped in his tracks, a surprised expression on his face. "Wow," he said.

"What?" Devon asked, craning her neck to look up at him.

"That must be some kind of record. Usually, it takes me a lot longer to win an argument with you," he said, grinning. Devon grinned back and swatted his arm. Then she settled back against him, her head against his chest. As she listened to the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat, the previous night's sleeplessness caught up to her, and she started drifting off. She was soon fast asleep, despite her efforts to stay awake. John looked down at her when she finally nodded off and smiled. She needed some rest. He could tell Devon was exhausted. He couldn't keep track of time exactly, but he had been walking for a couple hours when the Terrian started reappearing again. He had drifted from the direction the Terrian had pointed them in, and when that happened, the Terrian reappeared and pointed him back in the right direction. The first time it happened, John was so startled he almost dropped Devon. She stirred, but didn't wake up, and John continued to travel towards camp. The Terrian reappeared a few times more, always pointing John back in the right direction and then immediately sinking back into the earth.

Back at camp, Morgan kept a close eye on True and Uly. They both seemed a little calmer since Danziger called in, but they were disappointed that they weren't able to talk to Devon or him. But Morgan didn't want to take the chance that True, or even Uly, would run off again. Bess would kill him if they did. He looked over to the med tent, where Julia was examining Bess right now. ~How long does it take?~ thought Morgan impatiently.

Then Alonzo came back into camp with Yale and Matazl. Alonzo had gone out to watch for the returning search parties. True and Uly jumped up and ran to greet them, and Yale caught both of them in a hug. Bess and Julia came out of the med tent with smiles on their faces, unnoticed except by Morgan. He shot Bess a questioning gaze. She just walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. ~I'm going to be a father,~ he thought as his stomach turned upside down, like he was on an old-fashioned thrill ride. He continued to wear the same dazed expression while the rest of the search parties returned, and all through Julia and Alonzo's account of everything that had happened. But no one noticed Morgan's distraction.

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