I own the computer I wrote this on, that's about it

1. Light

The way the light played with her hair fascinated him.

She had always been beautiful but in the clean sunlight of Terra Nova Jim was struck by just how gorgeous the mother of his children was. The dark locks shimmered, curled slightly in the warm air and just seemed healthier then he remembered from before his imprisonment. The first time she caught him staring she didn't say anything, the second time she quirked an eyebrow, the third time she asked him what he was looking at. He answered with a simple "You".

2. Rain

It started around three. A few drops pinging against the roof got their attention and by the time the Shannon family went to investigate a steady shower of clean water had begun. From the front porch Jim and Elizabeth watched as Maddy and Zoe splashed in the growing puddles and even Josh stood with his face turned to the sky. Taking his wife's hand Jim pulled her into the rain and spun her around until they were both soaked and dizzy. They would have to go inside and dry off soon if they didn't want to get sick but for now the family of five simply enjoyed the wonder of acid free rainfall together.

3. Birthday

The flower had appeared on her desk around noon. The small plant would have been crushed under a stack of files if the bright blue petals hadn't caught her eye at the last second. Taking a seat Elizabeth studied the blossom as she picked it up and breathed in its sent. She recognized it as a common plant that grew wild around the Colony and liked to invade gardens that weren't weeded regularly. With a smile she tucked the flower behind her ear and started looking over her files, making a mental note to thank Jim for the birthday present when she saw him later.

4. Faucet

Jim Shannon was a man of many talents. Unfortunately fixing a leaking sink was not one of them. He started by tightening the tap handle, when that didn't work he remove the faucet and replaced the glue around the threads. For a couple of minutes the sink remained dry and Jim was rather proud of himself. He had just put his tools away when he heard a splash.

The steady drip, drip, drip of water was mocking him.

When Elizabeth came home from the hospital she was greeted with the sight of the disassembled kitchen sink spread out across the apartment and a pair of legs sticking out from under the counter.

"Darling, is everything alright?"

There was a loud bang and a yelp of pain. Slowly Jim climbed out from under the counter rubbing his forehead.

"The faucet was dripping."

If that was an explanation or an apology she wasn't exactly sure.

5. Ground

After dinner Jim had planned on calling it an early night and was almost to the bedroom when Elizabeth caught his arm and said something about it being the perfect evening for star gazing as she led him out back. He half-heartedly protested as he helped her spread a blanket and didn't put up much of a fight as she pulled him down. The ground was hard, there was a rock digging into his back and Jim could have sworn he heard a prehistoric cricket somewhere to his left. However none of that seemed to matter when Elizabeth pressed her warm body against his.

6. Dance

He had no rhythm.

Moving around in coordination with a partner had never been a skill he possessed and for the first twenty-two years of his life Jim hadn't been bothered by his two left feet. But then Elizabeth asked to go dancing and he hadn't been able to say no. A moment of dread came over him as she pulled him onto the club's dance floor but his anxiety was short lived. She didn't seem to mind that his feet never moved more than a step to the left or right, there was no disappointment on her face when he didn't spin her and at the end of the night she thanked him for the wonderful evening.

They went dancing regularly after that and nearly twenty years later he still didn't have any rhythm to speak of.

7. Scarf

The long piece of knitted yarn was far from perfect. The width wasn't uniform, the ends were uneven and it looked like the last foot was done with a different color. Jim rubbed his thumb across the soft material before looking up at Elizabeth. She was biting her lip nervously as she watched him inspect the gift.

"If you don't like it it's ok."

"No, I love it."

Pulling the scarf out of the box he quickly looped it around his neck. Her smile more than made up for all the wisecracks he got from the guys at the station.

8. Home

She was still wearing her wedding dress as he carried her over the threshold of their new apartment. It wasn't much; the kitchen / dining / living room took up the left side, a screen provided privacy for the corner 'bedroom' and the bathroom was tucked away to the right of the door. The paint was pealing, the windows needed cleaning and there was a distinct smell neither could place. Setting her down gently Jim kept his arms around her as he guided her to the center of the apartment.

"Mrs. Shannon."

"Mr. Shannon."

No, it wasn't much but as they swayed to the music in their head the young couple didn't care.

It was home.

9. Impulse

"Have dinner with me!"

Jim cringed at the way his voice echoed in the hallway. He hadn't meant to yell but she was already halfway down the hall before he realized she was leaving and he panicked. Pausing mid-step she turned and flashed him a bright smile.

"Pick me up at eight?"

Her accented voice was music to his ears and Jim let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. With a grin he nodded in agreement and waved goodbye as she disappeared through a set of double doors. Looking down at his watch he calculated his time remaining.

Seven hours, twenty-three minutes and fifteen…fourteen…thirteen…twelve…eleven…

10. Chance

The odds were stacked against the Shannon's and nothing short of a miracle would see the family reunited 85 million years in the past. For his wife's plan to work Jim had to break out of a maximum security prison, find the pack containing his youngest child before anyone stole it, break into a maximum security facility and then get past multiple levels of checkpoints before anyone noticed the extra pilgrim in line. If he had stopped for a moment to really think about it Jim never would have made it out of Golad in the first place.

Maybe it was divine intervention or pure dumb luck that landed him in Terra Nova but Jim knew better than to question it. Standing with his family he listened to Commander Taylor talk about what the Colony represented and he took those words to heart.

This place was a second chance, one he wasn't going to waste.