CATCH A SHOOTING STAR
RATING: R
STORY BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit by their use.
Well, this is it, guys. The last chapter. I could hardly believe it when I finished it, but here you are. Oh, and I'm writing this several months after I finished the story and I gotta tell you, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THIS. Well, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story. Look for other things from me, I'm not finished with the Sailor Moon Universe yet.
Sorry, my email's still on the fritz, so go ahead and ask my sister to forward any comments to me, if you want.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four
Chapters 21 thru 24 are now Chapter Five
Chapter 25 is the Chapter Six
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.
PART: FINALE
Yaten followed Brian down the corridor, ignoring the suspicious looks the older man was giving him. Too much had gone on in the past three years for him to be worried about a disgruntled older brother. He was more nervous at the thought of facing Tia.
Brian opened the door to his sister's study, and stepped aside to allow the other man to enter the room. He glared at Yaten for a moment, his eyes narrowing, before he said in a tight voice, "Wait here. I'll let Tia know you're here."
Brian gave Yaten a last glare before leaving the room. Yaten stood, hands in the pockets of his suit, staring at the solid oak door. He guessed from the manner in which almost all the people he'd encountered here, that Tia had told them of what had occurred between them. They hated him for leaving her, not that he could blame any of them for it. With her family's money and influence, he knew that they could've found him anywhere in the world. He knew Tia must've intervened, because in the time between their parting and the resolution of the Sailor Wars, no one had come looking for him and no one had tried to make his life miserable.
The resolution of the Sailor Wars came less than a year after they'd parted, when Usagi had saved them all. He knew he would never forget how her Star Seed and lit up the entire galaxy. It reminded him, in some little way, of how he'd felt when Tia had told him of her feelings and of her pregnancy.
The last two years had been an arduous time. They'd had to rebuild their world from a devastation that they'd had no idea had happened. They'd been stunned, when they'd returned to their world and found such utter destruction. They almost despaired of being able to start over again. Then, they'd looked at one another, remembering Usagi and how much she believed in them, and they began the long road to restoring their world.
After two years, the rebuilding was barely begun, but things had stabilized a great deal. The atmosphere once again enveloped their world, and weather was forming again. They'd restored their world's oceans and had seeded it with what it took to restore life on the world. And this past Spring, on the Great Northern Continent, they'd been rewarded, with the first signs of life their world had seen in years. He couldn't describe the feelings that had shot through him when he'd seen the Great Plain covered in green, growing grass.
He sighed, a small smile on his face, recalling when he'd been given permission to return to Earth. His Princess had smiled, understandingly, "You must bring your heart back with you."
Seiya had slapped him on the back, sending him staggering, "It took you long enough."
Taiki's smile spoke eloquently enough for him.
He was startled when the French double doors at the end of the room opened, letting in a gust of wind. The green gauze curtains billowed in the wind, before softly settling as the wind lost its grip on them. The open doors let in a lot more sunlight that before, and he squinted against the glare. A dark figure was silhouetted there, and as his eyes adjusted to the added light, the figure resolved itself into the form of a woman.
His breath left him in a soft sigh, "Tia."
She stepped fully into the room. And his breath caugh in his throat. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful she was. Especially dressed this way. Her hair was down, flowing like a deep, auburn waterfall with a slight breeze tugging at the ends. Her skin was a glowing bronze, and perfect with nary a mar. She wore a dress, a soft, leaf green, with gentle, lines and soft edges. Her feet were bare, as if she'd been walking through soft grass. Nestled into the hollow of her throat glittered the locket he'd given her three years before. Instinctively, his hand went to the pendant she'd given him, clutching it gently in his fingers.
Looking into her violet eyes was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life. He was afraid of what he might find there. Terrified that her love had turned to hate during their separation. Then their eyes met and the rest of the world was gone. They stood staring at each other for an eternity, before he walked forward and touched her cheek with his hand.
She closed her eyes, nestling her cheek against the palm of his hand. It was as if all the intervening years had disappeared, as if they'd only said farewell mere hours ago. Her heart felt as if it had been loosed from bonds which had held her prisoner for an eternity. And now, in an instant, with a single touch, her heart soared free again, high above the world.
Yaten felt a warmth spread over his thumb and saw that tears were flowing from her eyes. He discovered, surprised, that tears were flowing down his cheeks. Tears that had welled up and spilled over without him even noticing it. They were healing tears, though, and they both recognized it as such.
"Here, now," Tia cleared her throat, "this isn't why you came, is it? To turn me into a watering pot?"
"No," Yaten stared at her, tracing the lines of her face lovingly. "No, it's not," he cleared is throat, and turned to look out the windows again. "I expect that you're wondering what's been going on with me. The Sailor Wars are over now. Galaxia has been redeemed."
"I know," Tia's voice held a trace of amusement. "You found your Princess. The one to whom you were sending your message."
"You knew?" He looked over his shoulder, surprised.
"Yes, Usagi told me," she smiled, softly. "When she called to invite me to her wedding."
"Usagi? Then you knew all along, that she was Sailor Moon?"
"I figured it out when I realized that you were Sailor Star Healer," she shook her head. "It wasn't very difficult to figure out who was who after discovering one person's secret identity."
"Do you know why I didn't--," he trailed off when she waved her hand.
"Yes, you had your duty to your world and your Princess. It was something you held as sacred and something more important than your feelings," she smiled at him again. "You had to rebuild your world."
"We're nowhere near finished," Yaten couldn't look at her any more. "There's still a lifetime of work to be done."
"Yaten," his name was a whisper on her lips. He turned in time to catch her up in his arms as she flung herself at him. He stared down at her face and realized that he could see understanding. And love, "Yaten, shut up."
She reached up, capturing his face between her hands. She brushed her lips against his; the touch of him, the feel and smell of him, made tears start in her eyes again. Their first kiss in three years wasn't a passionate kiss. The feelings behind them were too strong to be contained in a mere kiss.
This kiss was a pledge. A sacred trust between each other.
The kiss ended and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. He inhaled her fragrance and reveled in the feel of her against him once more. Her arms were wrapped round him, too, her fingers gripping his coat as if she'd never let him go again. Her face was buried against his throat, and he could feel her warm breath against his skin.
They stood like that for a long time, neither one speaking, almost afraid to break the mood. Then he felt her giggle into his throat, felt laughter shaking her frame. He loosed his arms and looked down at her. When she looked up at him, he was almost blinded by the joy and love reflected in her violet eyes. They also held an amused sparkle as she said, "There's someone I'd like you to meet."
He looked at her, puzzled, as she moved out of the circle of his arms and bent down. Then she stood up, with a little girl of two years held in her arms. She smiled at the little girl with hair the same fiery hair as hers, then she smiled at him again, "Yaten, I'd like to introduce you to your daughter, Shikara."
His heart had stopped, as he stood staring at his daughter. He'd known, but somehow it hadn't seemed real at the time. Like it was just something you read about in a book, not anything concrete. But now, now, he stood frozen, in shock, oblivious to everything except this woman and this little girl before him.
Shikara cuddled close to Tia, a bouquet of white roses in her small hands. She inhaled the fragrance of her mother, then became aware of this other person standing next to her mother. She looked up, staring solemnly out of brilliant peridot green eyes at the man standing next to them. She stared at him, a completely serious look on her face, for the longest time.
Then a smile lit her face and it was like the sun breaking through the clouds. She flung herself from her startled mother's arms and straight into her equally startled father's arms. She snuggled up against him, and looked up, a contented look in her eyes, "Dada."
The effect of this word on him nearly sent him crashing to his knees. A hundred emotions swirled through his system, making him giddy suddenly. He'd never felt such a thing before. Never. It was the most harrowing and the most exhilarating thing he'd ever felt in his life. He was completely unaware of the tears now flowing from his eyes.
Shikara was totally unconcerned about his tears, on some instinctive level perhaps knowing the tears weren't bad. She raised her head, reached up and touched his tear stained cheek, "Dada. Dada," she repeated, firmly. "Mama," then she turned at looked at her mother, who also stood with tears flowing down her cheeks, and pointed up at her father, "Dada."
Tia almost laughed at the oh-mother-look tone her daughter had used. She walked forward and put her arms around both her daughter and the love of her life, "Yes, my dear, that is your father."
Shikara snuggled down into her father's chest, content now, knowing her parents understood their place. She smiled, and whispered, "Dada."
Yaten stared down at his daughter then looked into Tia's eyes. The light of a million stars couldn't have competed with the light shining out of his eyes. He whispered, "This. . . I can't. . . .I don't know. . . .This miracle you've given me, I can't explain how much this. . . .Do you know what a gift you've given me?"
"Every time I look into her eyes, Yaten. I know, I know," she rested her head against his shoulder. Then she cleared her throat, "But, there's something I have to tell you."
"What?" he looked down at her, a puzzled look in his eyes.
"There's something you need to know about her," she looked up at him. "She's got powers."
"Powers?"
"Yes. I don't know if it's because of your genetic history, or if it's because of my exposure to the Star Seed, or if it's because of my own family history. . . ," she trailed off at the look in his eyes.
"Your own family history?"
"It's a long story, but there are stories linking my family to sorcerers. . . .But I'd always believed they were just colorful fairy tales. But now, I'm not so sure," she sighed, raising her free arm, pointing it at an expensive-looking vase resting on a Victorian style table "Especially now, with this."
She spread her fingers, and her violet eyes widened. There was a pressure in the air, like they were in a plane ascending into the sky. Then, suddenly, the pressure was gone and the vase sitting on the table rose a good two feet. Then it settled back onto the table without a wobble.
"I discovered that I could do this shortly after Shikara was born. The other powers were only the beginning and they've only gotten stronger over these last three years. You should've seen my face when I first realized that the person who was floating the objects around the room was me," she looked up when she realized Yaten was suppressing laughter. She punched him in the arm, "It's not funny," she stopped then laughed at herself. "So maybe it is, but it really was hard in the beginning before I learned to control it. . . . For the most part."
"And then," she sighed, remembering the year before, "Shikara manifested abilities. The sight of her floating up in the air. . . ," her heart lodged in her throat again.
"She's that strong?" He looked down at his daughter, awe in his eyes.
"Oh yes, but it's been kind of harrowing," Tia sighed, dropping her head onto his shoulder again. "She learns to do new things everyday with those powers of hers."
"I'm so very sorry I haven't been here to help you. I. . . there's no way I can make up for it."
"No. But it doesn't matter. You're here, now."
"I love you."
"Oh, god," she whispered, raggedly. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that again. I love you so much."
He rested his head against hers, "I've been waiting three years to tell you that again. I came here to bring my heart back with me."
She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against hers, "I came back for you. I can't promise that life will be easy. We're still rebuilding. And I can't promise you that there won't be danger. I'm a soldier for my princess, and a guardian protecting my world. But I can't go on without you. You are my heart, my soul. Without you, I am only half a person. I need you in my life."
"As I need you. I've just been biding my time, here," she traced his cheek with her fingers. "My heart and soul have been with you, on that far-flung world, waiting for the rest of me to join you."
"Will you come back with me and be my wife? Laugh with me, fight with me, make love with me, all of our lives?"
"How can I not? How can I not, when without you I don't exist?"
'Well,' both of them were shocked at the new voice speaking to them in their minds, "it's about time."
Yaten recognized the voice. Although the memory was somewhat hazy, he still recognized it as the one that had issued from Tia's lips that night in the hospital.
An vision formed in there minds of a laughing young woman, with fiery hair and brilliant peridot green eyes, standing tall on a plain of grass. And with a start, both of them realized just who it was. They looked at each other, and then looked down at their daughter, nestled so contentedly in their arms. They looked back at each other and grinned.
Several hours later, Brian entered the study. He had his grandparents in tow and a ferocious scowl marred his face. He flung himself into a thickly padded armchair, crossed his legs then immediately rocketed out of the chair to pace furiously back and forth.
"Where the hell could they be? I mean, it's not like they could've snuck past us," he demanded of the room in general.
"Relax, Brian, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," his grandfather chided him. "They'll turn up."
His grandmother said nothing, simply studied the digital camera sitting on Tia's desk.
"I should never have let that low-life into the house," Brian ground out, his fist clenching in fury. "After what he did to Tia, I should've taken a shotgun and blown his head off."
"Brian," his grandfather's voice had turned granite hard, "don't you ever, ever say anything like that again. Do you understand me? Never. He didn't do anything to Tia that she wasn't a willing participant in. She made that quite clear."
"I know," Brian thrust a hand through his hair. "I know, but I can't help it. I've been protecting her all my life and I just can't help it. I just wish I knew where they are."
"Well, we have people searching now, they should turn something up soon."
"No, I don't think so," Violet MacKenzie's voice was quite certain. "I think you'd better call off your search party, you're not going to be able to find them."
"Why not?" Brian frowned.
"Look at this," Violet pointed at the monitor of the computer which sat on Tia's desk. She'd noticed that the digital camera sitting in the middle of the blotter was attached to the computer and that the computer was turned on. On a hunch she'd nudged the mouse with her finger and a picture had popped up on the screen.
The picture was of Yaten, Tia and Shikara. Shikara was cradled in the protective cirlce of her parents' arms, a small contented smile on her face. Yaten's arms were circled around Tia and his daughter, in a obviously tender embrace. Tia, her arms around both her lover and her daughter, was snuggled tightly against Yaten's shoulder. Yaten and Tia weren't facing the camera, since this wasn't a family portrait. They stood, staring into one another's eyes, their love for each other plain to see even in this two-dimensional form. The expression of love made Violet's chest tighten in response.
No, this wasn't a family portrait by any means. It was Tia's way of saying good-bye.
"They're gone, Brian, and you're not going to be able to find them," she said, suppressing the tears which had come to her eyes.
"I agree," Daniel MacKenzie's voice was gruff, and she knew he'd seen the same thing she had.
Brian didn't see anything but the picture, his perceptions tainted by anger, and demanded, "What do you mean by that? Where would they have gone?"
He began pacing again, then stopped, staring at the rug under his feet for a long moment. Slowly, his energy ebbed away, and his shoulders slumped as he spoke in barely a whisper, "Why? Where is she?"
His grandparents both embraced him, tears in their eyes, and Violet, both happiness and sadness intermingling on her face, said simply, "Where she belongs."
Finis
RATING: R
STORY BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit by their use.
Well, this is it, guys. The last chapter. I could hardly believe it when I finished it, but here you are. Oh, and I'm writing this several months after I finished the story and I gotta tell you, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THIS. Well, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story. Look for other things from me, I'm not finished with the Sailor Moon Universe yet.
Sorry, my email's still on the fritz, so go ahead and ask my sister to forward any comments to me, if you want.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four
Chapters 21 thru 24 are now Chapter Five
Chapter 25 is the Chapter Six
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.
PART: FINALE
Yaten followed Brian down the corridor, ignoring the suspicious looks the older man was giving him. Too much had gone on in the past three years for him to be worried about a disgruntled older brother. He was more nervous at the thought of facing Tia.
Brian opened the door to his sister's study, and stepped aside to allow the other man to enter the room. He glared at Yaten for a moment, his eyes narrowing, before he said in a tight voice, "Wait here. I'll let Tia know you're here."
Brian gave Yaten a last glare before leaving the room. Yaten stood, hands in the pockets of his suit, staring at the solid oak door. He guessed from the manner in which almost all the people he'd encountered here, that Tia had told them of what had occurred between them. They hated him for leaving her, not that he could blame any of them for it. With her family's money and influence, he knew that they could've found him anywhere in the world. He knew Tia must've intervened, because in the time between their parting and the resolution of the Sailor Wars, no one had come looking for him and no one had tried to make his life miserable.
The resolution of the Sailor Wars came less than a year after they'd parted, when Usagi had saved them all. He knew he would never forget how her Star Seed and lit up the entire galaxy. It reminded him, in some little way, of how he'd felt when Tia had told him of her feelings and of her pregnancy.
The last two years had been an arduous time. They'd had to rebuild their world from a devastation that they'd had no idea had happened. They'd been stunned, when they'd returned to their world and found such utter destruction. They almost despaired of being able to start over again. Then, they'd looked at one another, remembering Usagi and how much she believed in them, and they began the long road to restoring their world.
After two years, the rebuilding was barely begun, but things had stabilized a great deal. The atmosphere once again enveloped their world, and weather was forming again. They'd restored their world's oceans and had seeded it with what it took to restore life on the world. And this past Spring, on the Great Northern Continent, they'd been rewarded, with the first signs of life their world had seen in years. He couldn't describe the feelings that had shot through him when he'd seen the Great Plain covered in green, growing grass.
He sighed, a small smile on his face, recalling when he'd been given permission to return to Earth. His Princess had smiled, understandingly, "You must bring your heart back with you."
Seiya had slapped him on the back, sending him staggering, "It took you long enough."
Taiki's smile spoke eloquently enough for him.
He was startled when the French double doors at the end of the room opened, letting in a gust of wind. The green gauze curtains billowed in the wind, before softly settling as the wind lost its grip on them. The open doors let in a lot more sunlight that before, and he squinted against the glare. A dark figure was silhouetted there, and as his eyes adjusted to the added light, the figure resolved itself into the form of a woman.
His breath left him in a soft sigh, "Tia."
She stepped fully into the room. And his breath caugh in his throat. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful she was. Especially dressed this way. Her hair was down, flowing like a deep, auburn waterfall with a slight breeze tugging at the ends. Her skin was a glowing bronze, and perfect with nary a mar. She wore a dress, a soft, leaf green, with gentle, lines and soft edges. Her feet were bare, as if she'd been walking through soft grass. Nestled into the hollow of her throat glittered the locket he'd given her three years before. Instinctively, his hand went to the pendant she'd given him, clutching it gently in his fingers.
Looking into her violet eyes was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life. He was afraid of what he might find there. Terrified that her love had turned to hate during their separation. Then their eyes met and the rest of the world was gone. They stood staring at each other for an eternity, before he walked forward and touched her cheek with his hand.
She closed her eyes, nestling her cheek against the palm of his hand. It was as if all the intervening years had disappeared, as if they'd only said farewell mere hours ago. Her heart felt as if it had been loosed from bonds which had held her prisoner for an eternity. And now, in an instant, with a single touch, her heart soared free again, high above the world.
Yaten felt a warmth spread over his thumb and saw that tears were flowing from her eyes. He discovered, surprised, that tears were flowing down his cheeks. Tears that had welled up and spilled over without him even noticing it. They were healing tears, though, and they both recognized it as such.
"Here, now," Tia cleared her throat, "this isn't why you came, is it? To turn me into a watering pot?"
"No," Yaten stared at her, tracing the lines of her face lovingly. "No, it's not," he cleared is throat, and turned to look out the windows again. "I expect that you're wondering what's been going on with me. The Sailor Wars are over now. Galaxia has been redeemed."
"I know," Tia's voice held a trace of amusement. "You found your Princess. The one to whom you were sending your message."
"You knew?" He looked over his shoulder, surprised.
"Yes, Usagi told me," she smiled, softly. "When she called to invite me to her wedding."
"Usagi? Then you knew all along, that she was Sailor Moon?"
"I figured it out when I realized that you were Sailor Star Healer," she shook her head. "It wasn't very difficult to figure out who was who after discovering one person's secret identity."
"Do you know why I didn't--," he trailed off when she waved her hand.
"Yes, you had your duty to your world and your Princess. It was something you held as sacred and something more important than your feelings," she smiled at him again. "You had to rebuild your world."
"We're nowhere near finished," Yaten couldn't look at her any more. "There's still a lifetime of work to be done."
"Yaten," his name was a whisper on her lips. He turned in time to catch her up in his arms as she flung herself at him. He stared down at her face and realized that he could see understanding. And love, "Yaten, shut up."
She reached up, capturing his face between her hands. She brushed her lips against his; the touch of him, the feel and smell of him, made tears start in her eyes again. Their first kiss in three years wasn't a passionate kiss. The feelings behind them were too strong to be contained in a mere kiss.
This kiss was a pledge. A sacred trust between each other.
The kiss ended and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. He inhaled her fragrance and reveled in the feel of her against him once more. Her arms were wrapped round him, too, her fingers gripping his coat as if she'd never let him go again. Her face was buried against his throat, and he could feel her warm breath against his skin.
They stood like that for a long time, neither one speaking, almost afraid to break the mood. Then he felt her giggle into his throat, felt laughter shaking her frame. He loosed his arms and looked down at her. When she looked up at him, he was almost blinded by the joy and love reflected in her violet eyes. They also held an amused sparkle as she said, "There's someone I'd like you to meet."
He looked at her, puzzled, as she moved out of the circle of his arms and bent down. Then she stood up, with a little girl of two years held in her arms. She smiled at the little girl with hair the same fiery hair as hers, then she smiled at him again, "Yaten, I'd like to introduce you to your daughter, Shikara."
His heart had stopped, as he stood staring at his daughter. He'd known, but somehow it hadn't seemed real at the time. Like it was just something you read about in a book, not anything concrete. But now, now, he stood frozen, in shock, oblivious to everything except this woman and this little girl before him.
Shikara cuddled close to Tia, a bouquet of white roses in her small hands. She inhaled the fragrance of her mother, then became aware of this other person standing next to her mother. She looked up, staring solemnly out of brilliant peridot green eyes at the man standing next to them. She stared at him, a completely serious look on her face, for the longest time.
Then a smile lit her face and it was like the sun breaking through the clouds. She flung herself from her startled mother's arms and straight into her equally startled father's arms. She snuggled up against him, and looked up, a contented look in her eyes, "Dada."
The effect of this word on him nearly sent him crashing to his knees. A hundred emotions swirled through his system, making him giddy suddenly. He'd never felt such a thing before. Never. It was the most harrowing and the most exhilarating thing he'd ever felt in his life. He was completely unaware of the tears now flowing from his eyes.
Shikara was totally unconcerned about his tears, on some instinctive level perhaps knowing the tears weren't bad. She raised her head, reached up and touched his tear stained cheek, "Dada. Dada," she repeated, firmly. "Mama," then she turned at looked at her mother, who also stood with tears flowing down her cheeks, and pointed up at her father, "Dada."
Tia almost laughed at the oh-mother-look tone her daughter had used. She walked forward and put her arms around both her daughter and the love of her life, "Yes, my dear, that is your father."
Shikara snuggled down into her father's chest, content now, knowing her parents understood their place. She smiled, and whispered, "Dada."
Yaten stared down at his daughter then looked into Tia's eyes. The light of a million stars couldn't have competed with the light shining out of his eyes. He whispered, "This. . . I can't. . . .I don't know. . . .This miracle you've given me, I can't explain how much this. . . .Do you know what a gift you've given me?"
"Every time I look into her eyes, Yaten. I know, I know," she rested her head against his shoulder. Then she cleared her throat, "But, there's something I have to tell you."
"What?" he looked down at her, a puzzled look in his eyes.
"There's something you need to know about her," she looked up at him. "She's got powers."
"Powers?"
"Yes. I don't know if it's because of your genetic history, or if it's because of my exposure to the Star Seed, or if it's because of my own family history. . . ," she trailed off at the look in his eyes.
"Your own family history?"
"It's a long story, but there are stories linking my family to sorcerers. . . .But I'd always believed they were just colorful fairy tales. But now, I'm not so sure," she sighed, raising her free arm, pointing it at an expensive-looking vase resting on a Victorian style table "Especially now, with this."
She spread her fingers, and her violet eyes widened. There was a pressure in the air, like they were in a plane ascending into the sky. Then, suddenly, the pressure was gone and the vase sitting on the table rose a good two feet. Then it settled back onto the table without a wobble.
"I discovered that I could do this shortly after Shikara was born. The other powers were only the beginning and they've only gotten stronger over these last three years. You should've seen my face when I first realized that the person who was floating the objects around the room was me," she looked up when she realized Yaten was suppressing laughter. She punched him in the arm, "It's not funny," she stopped then laughed at herself. "So maybe it is, but it really was hard in the beginning before I learned to control it. . . . For the most part."
"And then," she sighed, remembering the year before, "Shikara manifested abilities. The sight of her floating up in the air. . . ," her heart lodged in her throat again.
"She's that strong?" He looked down at his daughter, awe in his eyes.
"Oh yes, but it's been kind of harrowing," Tia sighed, dropping her head onto his shoulder again. "She learns to do new things everyday with those powers of hers."
"I'm so very sorry I haven't been here to help you. I. . . there's no way I can make up for it."
"No. But it doesn't matter. You're here, now."
"I love you."
"Oh, god," she whispered, raggedly. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that again. I love you so much."
He rested his head against hers, "I've been waiting three years to tell you that again. I came here to bring my heart back with me."
She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against hers, "I came back for you. I can't promise that life will be easy. We're still rebuilding. And I can't promise you that there won't be danger. I'm a soldier for my princess, and a guardian protecting my world. But I can't go on without you. You are my heart, my soul. Without you, I am only half a person. I need you in my life."
"As I need you. I've just been biding my time, here," she traced his cheek with her fingers. "My heart and soul have been with you, on that far-flung world, waiting for the rest of me to join you."
"Will you come back with me and be my wife? Laugh with me, fight with me, make love with me, all of our lives?"
"How can I not? How can I not, when without you I don't exist?"
'Well,' both of them were shocked at the new voice speaking to them in their minds, "it's about time."
Yaten recognized the voice. Although the memory was somewhat hazy, he still recognized it as the one that had issued from Tia's lips that night in the hospital.
An vision formed in there minds of a laughing young woman, with fiery hair and brilliant peridot green eyes, standing tall on a plain of grass. And with a start, both of them realized just who it was. They looked at each other, and then looked down at their daughter, nestled so contentedly in their arms. They looked back at each other and grinned.
Several hours later, Brian entered the study. He had his grandparents in tow and a ferocious scowl marred his face. He flung himself into a thickly padded armchair, crossed his legs then immediately rocketed out of the chair to pace furiously back and forth.
"Where the hell could they be? I mean, it's not like they could've snuck past us," he demanded of the room in general.
"Relax, Brian, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," his grandfather chided him. "They'll turn up."
His grandmother said nothing, simply studied the digital camera sitting on Tia's desk.
"I should never have let that low-life into the house," Brian ground out, his fist clenching in fury. "After what he did to Tia, I should've taken a shotgun and blown his head off."
"Brian," his grandfather's voice had turned granite hard, "don't you ever, ever say anything like that again. Do you understand me? Never. He didn't do anything to Tia that she wasn't a willing participant in. She made that quite clear."
"I know," Brian thrust a hand through his hair. "I know, but I can't help it. I've been protecting her all my life and I just can't help it. I just wish I knew where they are."
"Well, we have people searching now, they should turn something up soon."
"No, I don't think so," Violet MacKenzie's voice was quite certain. "I think you'd better call off your search party, you're not going to be able to find them."
"Why not?" Brian frowned.
"Look at this," Violet pointed at the monitor of the computer which sat on Tia's desk. She'd noticed that the digital camera sitting in the middle of the blotter was attached to the computer and that the computer was turned on. On a hunch she'd nudged the mouse with her finger and a picture had popped up on the screen.
The picture was of Yaten, Tia and Shikara. Shikara was cradled in the protective cirlce of her parents' arms, a small contented smile on her face. Yaten's arms were circled around Tia and his daughter, in a obviously tender embrace. Tia, her arms around both her lover and her daughter, was snuggled tightly against Yaten's shoulder. Yaten and Tia weren't facing the camera, since this wasn't a family portrait. They stood, staring into one another's eyes, their love for each other plain to see even in this two-dimensional form. The expression of love made Violet's chest tighten in response.
No, this wasn't a family portrait by any means. It was Tia's way of saying good-bye.
"They're gone, Brian, and you're not going to be able to find them," she said, suppressing the tears which had come to her eyes.
"I agree," Daniel MacKenzie's voice was gruff, and she knew he'd seen the same thing she had.
Brian didn't see anything but the picture, his perceptions tainted by anger, and demanded, "What do you mean by that? Where would they have gone?"
He began pacing again, then stopped, staring at the rug under his feet for a long moment. Slowly, his energy ebbed away, and his shoulders slumped as he spoke in barely a whisper, "Why? Where is she?"
His grandparents both embraced him, tears in their eyes, and Violet, both happiness and sadness intermingling on her face, said simply, "Where she belongs."
Finis