Resent-date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 18:47:29 -0600 (CST) Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 16:26:14 -0800 (PST) Resent-from: seaQuest-ff-request@escapenet.org From: Victoria Jones Subject: (sQ-ff) Opps! REPOST : Serendipity 4/? Resent-sender: seaQuest-ff-request@escapenet.org To: seaquest-ff@escapenet.org Reply-to: seaQuest-ff@escapenet.org X-Originating-IP: [129.71.137.220] X-Mailing-List: archive/latest/324 X-Loop: seaQuest-ff@stgenesis.org Well here's four yippee! Nathan, Kristin, Michael, and the Macronesians all belong to Amblin, the rest are ours *EG* All ( ) are *supposed* to be French, but I took Spanish and Iain can't remember his French class all that well *G* -Ellie As if the sound of their names were the key to releasing them both from a magical spell, mother and child both sat straight up. The woman, Kristin,fell back into the narrow confines of the box, shaking, every breath an effort. The girl spilled over the side and onto the sopping wet floor; rising shakily to her feet, she took in her new surroundings and began imperiously demanding (Who are you? Where am I?) Bridger was shell-shocked, MacNeill only knew French toast and French Fries, and the Mac was fighting to maintain conciousness. All three men were at a complete loss of how to deal with an eleven year old girl screaming inconsolable French. Christy pushed past them, spurred to action by her sister's tears. Kneeling so she was on eye-level with the girl, she explained in soft and flowing French (It's okay sweetheart. You don't remember me but I'm your sister. And that's my fiancee, Iain MacNeill....) While Christy calmed the girl, MacNeill went to tend to the mother. He knelt at the side of the desciated woman, and leant her support; the woman seemed incapable of sitting up by herself. . Bridger came to join him by Kristin's side. Unfortunatly, it all too clear what was wrong with her at least to MacNeill. "Sensinium" the younger man growled to his companion as he checked for the symptoms "Damn it I think they dosed her with sensinium." he held up a marble white hand and spread the fingers apart. Sure enough, the skin in between was highly discolored. "Looks like twice, maybe three times, what she should have in her system. It's a miracle she's not OD'd." "It could mean," Christy countered grimly, looking up from the girl and speaking English, "that her tolerance is through the roof." "From the looks of her, big time" MacNeill agreed, turning his attention back to the stuperous woman. "Sensinium?" Bridger repeated in confusion. "A drug used by the Macsö Christy explained softly, again in English . "It's generally used on an emergency basis, the trouble is that it kills you faster than any drug known to mankind, if you last that long. The trouble is it's the easiest to get hooked on, and the fastest as well. I've heard of addiction after one dose. This stuff is normally used only for the most recalcitrant of the Mac's guests." Bridger's eyes widened at the thought of it. What could the Kristin Westphalen he'd known do to deserve such high doses of the drug? The Mac,who up until this point in time was concerned with his own injuries, spoke up again. "I'm sorry to bust up this little family reunion, but unless you want to swim to Celeste I suggest we leave *now*. This craft is becoming increasingly unstable." MacNeill looked up from his patient. "I don't know about moving her so soon." "Consider the options, you moron!" the Mac snapped back "Now you and I will pick her up..." "Is that wise?" Bridger interupted,gesturing towards the Mac "He's badly injured...maybe I should..." "No!" Christy cut off forcefully. In a softer tone she explained "Nathan, as far as she's concerned, you're *dead*. It would be a shock to her already weakened system to wake up and find herself in your arms, okay?" The tone of steel was back. "No more wasting time we don't have. Iain," she stopped and looked at the Mac searchingly, "and?" "Marion." the man supplied Now was not a good time to laugh, but later Christy would find it highly amusing that such a masculine man would be named Marion. In the present though who was she to quibble? "Iain, Marion, you take Mother, I'll grab Lilly," she glanced towards Bridger,"and you're last. All right up we go." MacNeill and Marion carefully lifted Kristin into their arms; she moaned softly and fell back into unconsciousness. Christy shepherded Lilly upto the ladder, nudging her towards the top. Slowly the small group made its way up the ladder, only to be greeted by a sea of faces at the top; the other Serendipity survivors had been drawn back to the hatch by the shouting they'd heard. The Mac groaned inwardly, thinking *civilians*. He went about closing the hatch. "Everybody back," MacNeill ordered,"and I mean now." "Kristin?" a timid voice called out from the crowd "Yes," smiled Christy, pushing Lilly on in front of her, "and Lilly too." The crowd began to once again buzz as several people at once marveled over the miracle of seeing shipmates they thought were lost alive and with them. "But not for much longer," MacNeill snarled, "if we don't get going." The crowd parted for him and Christy. He made a beeline towards the front and the padded benches; Christy went running back to the cockpit taking Lilly with her. Bridger followed in MacNeill's wake drawn forward by a strange, all consumming desire not to let Kristin out of his sight. MacNeill looked up at his approach and gave him a warning glance. "I thought Drea told you to stay away." "She did." Bridger shrugged,inarticulate with the inability to reconcile everything that was going through heart and mind."I...I..." All right now it was upsetting him, "can't." he finally offered weakly. Sincerely. MacNeill sighed. He knew the history between this man and Kristin Westphalen -not pretty. Still, when he looked deep into his eyes, he saw something of himself there; if Drea were in this situation would they be able to pull him away? As she would say not bloody likely. "All right,"he relented. "She's not likely to regain conciousness anytime soon. You can sit with her til we reach Celeste while I keep things on an even keel." Bridger let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "Thank you." MacNeill shifted out from under Kristin's weight, lowering her gently to the seat. Bridger slid in easily took his place and shifted her so she was resting comfortably. He gave MacNeill a reassuring smile watched him moving up front, assuring the other survivors as he went. Moments later the launch disengaged with a gentle rocking motion. Serendipty survivors cheered as they watched their former prison spiral down to the dark depths. The Mac, Marion,watched them watch the descent, the look on his face displaying his sudden quiet realization that there was no turning back. Kristin merely turned in her sleep, exposing her bruised side of her face to the air, shifting her weight,her head coming to rest squarely in Bridger's lap. He looked own in suprise; no she was soundly asleep. If she were awake she'd be up in seconds, giving him hell and damnation for every minute of the past ten years he'd missed. He was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He took this brief moment just to observe her, see if there was anything left of the woman he'd once known. Oddly, the first thing he noticed was the difference in her hair. The auburn was a bit blonde (redheads don't go gray they go blonde) around the temples, and in a few other places. It was *long*; a thick braid hung down past her elbows. The journey had left its marks on her face- literally. Bridger's fingers lightly traced down the side of her face, following the path of a healed scar. Every shade of bruise discolored her delicate skin, the most intentse, he was angered to notice, was around her throat. Like someone had tried to choke her... A flash of gold caught his attention; he lowered his head down to hers to see it better. He reached out to touch it with trembling hands, just to confirm it was what he thought it was. Laying in his palm was a medium sized gold pendant, the stone in the middle a rarity known as a fire opal. "She fought for that." Another woman's voice,when all he wanted to hear was *hers*, startled him out of his reverie. It was another of the survivors, a grandmotherly looking woman only appearing slightly better off than Kristin. Her arm was in a sling, and she had a shiner worthy of a school yard fight. Still her smile was warm and she seemed to have an aura about her that said "talk". " 'She fought for that'?" Bridger repeated, confused. The woman smiled at his question "For that pretty trinket you have in your hand. Fought a guard twice her size to hold onto it. Just how do you think she got all those finger marks æround her neck?" He didn't quite believe this and it must have showed on his face because the oldwoman went onto explain. "He didn't remeber it was her coming offtime." "Coming off?" "Leveling out dosage of sinsenium." the old lady explained once again. "Only other time I saw her so provoked was when someone threatened her girl." "I gave this to her," Bridger said slowly trying to process what he'd just been told,"for her birthday one year." Her eyes turned shrewd now appraising him. "You her man then?" "Once." he replied shortly. He tried his best to quelch the tidal wave of memories flooding through him, but it was no use to even try. "We were involved," he explained slowly, each word painfully brought to the surface, "but...other things...just came up. We drifted apart." He turned his eyes down to Kristin as if she would wake up at any second and give him the answers he needed. "Now, to see her come to this..."he trailed off Bridger looked up in surprise as he felt a sudden pressure on his hand. The woman was grasping his hand and smiling angelically. "Don't give up so easily" she whispered. "She'll need you, now more than ever." Leaning back, she gave him one last reassuring smile before starting a conversation with another passenger. Bridger fell back in his seat, the wind nearly knocked out of him for the second time that day. How could the old woman have known? *Who says I need you?* The question, a fragment of a long since forgotten fight, chased his tired mind round in circles til he fell into a restless sleep. When Bridger opened his eyes again, the only ones in the cabin were Michael, the Mac, Christy, MacNeill and himself. Kristin was stirring to life in his lap. "What's happening?" he mumbled sleepily. "We've arrived," MacNeill answered brusquely, "and she's waking up." So." MacNeill nodded towards Marion, who took the unspoken hint and the two stepped forward to relieve Bridger of his burden. MacNeillÆs next orders were directed towards Christy. "Take him and the boy and set them up in one of the bungeloes...as far away from the infirmiry as possible, please." "Fine." Christy agreed shortly. She left Bridger alone for a moment so he could collect Michael and she Lilly. Almost painfully she gave the little girl up to MacNeill and Marion, then gestured for Nathan and Michael to follow her out. The threesome made their way out of the launch area, onto the sandy white beaches of Celeste Island, completely alone. The transfer of Serendipity survivors had taken longer than expected; it was close to midnight. All the other scientists were in bed asleep, or too buried in their labs to notice the launch's return. No doubt in the morning there would be utter pandemonium when the rescue was discovered to be a sucess. Christy was already steeling herself to deal with all the bureaucrats she would have to deal with, to take all the dressing downs she was going to receive. At this moment though, on a moonlit beach in near solitude, she could indulge in a feeling of heady triumph and overwhelming joy. Who knew what the next few weeks would bring? Suddenly she stopped, she doesn't feel Bridger behind her anymore. She turns to see what's going on. Michael stoops on the beach fascinated by a shell he's found. His grandfather is looking beyond the beach and out into the night, in the direction of the infirmary, a look of indecision plastered across his face. TBC? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------- seaQuest-ff-request@stgenesis.org Subject: unsubscribe