Terra Nova - Things Lost in the Fire ch29 [Skye/Lucas]
Title: Things Lost in the Fire
Fandom: Terra Nova
Ship: Skye/Lucas
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, AU
Chapter: 29/30
Summary: AU story. Skye meets a strange man at Snakehead Falls and ends up falling in love. But can happiness built on anonymity last, when the world around them is on fire?
Author's Note: Aaand it's over! Just posting the last few chapters here...
Things Lost in the Fire
29. Briar Rose
She gripped his hand tight as they hurried onwards through the maze of corridors that led to the brig. Worry was a constant in her life now; it was a dreaded guest in no hurry to leave, and she was only now starting to get used to its presence. She had had to face so many things alone in these weeks, but these events had left her hardened, her resolve strengthened. It was this strength that shone through in her every action. She'd tackled Lucas' hurt, offering him an alternative, and seeing the results of that work was what made her confident now. Together they were more than the simple sum of parts, pieces of incomplete people.
He pushed the door open for them and they were greeted by a hot swirl of air. Skye stopped without fully realizing she'd done so, as they were suddenly the target of countless curious eyes. People had gathered outside, frozen as they watched the scene that unraveled before them. The soldiers were giving room from the masses to the Sixers that walked freely in the streets of Terra Nova. Lucas narrowed his eyes, catching other familiar faces in the midst of their reunions. The Sixers didn't seem concerned with the Terra Novans, or their lack of understanding. They simply focused on the people they were here for, helping the team back on their feet and towards the gates.
Eyes were upon Lucas and Skye as well; blame marked those gazes with unspoken accusation. Yet Skye only held onto his hand tighter and faced the situation bravely. She was the one who pulled him back into motion, who stood with her head held high, even as former friends and acquaintances struggled to conceive her role in all of this. They walked through the path secured by the soldiers, keeping distance from the crowd, minds set on their goal in spite of this distraction.
Everything seemed different in the light of day. Their feud seemed so small and inconsequential, even as they were stared at with mouths ajar. Lucas kept expecting riots, irrationals bursts of aggression, insults, and yet none of those things came. They walked in peace through the path that was laid out for them, and even as he knew this was not a hero's victory parade, he couldn't help feeling like this in itself was an achievement for them.
Skye opened the door to the infirmary, urging him to enter after her. The tugging awoke Lucas who hadn't realized he'd stared right back at the crowd observing him, piqued by their quiet… could it really be disgruntled acceptance?
Reality came crashing as they entered the infirmary, where Elizabeth Shannon was trying to hold down one of their companions with the help of the restraints and a few soldiers. Lucas let go of Skye's hand and walked into the situation, grabbing hold of patient's, Ludmila's, hand. He claimed her eyes with his, calming her instantly as he gripped her hand. She stopped fighting, bewildered by his presence.
"She cannot leave yet," Elizabeth hurried to explain, her voice saturated by genuine care. "I need her to stay in for observation, but she isn't listening to us."
Lucas' expression softened. "Did you hear that?" he asked his companion, gaining an insightful nod as response from her. "You get better first."
"They are letting everyone go, Ludmila," Skye said, appearing into her field of vision unexpectedly.
"Everyone that's not in the infirmary," Elizabeth pointed out, underlining her last words. "From what I understand, you've been through quite an ordeal. It's my duty as a doctor to make sure you're alright first."
Ludmila glanced from Skye to Lucas, as if questioning Elizabeth's words. Her face was covered in sweat; it glued her long hair to her face, made her eyeliner stain beneath her eyes. She looked delirious, uncertain, and a little paranoid. But she remained still, waiting for someone to tell it was alright.
"You can trust her," Skye said with a frown.
Lucas felt the grip on his hand falter after that, and then watched as Ludmila withdrew her hand from his hold. She laid her head on the pillow again, looking at Elizabeth at a distance, but no longer fighting back when Elizabeth withdrew a syringe and moved in to take blood. Lucas gave her a marking look before he and Skye continued onwards.
Carter wasn't where Lucas had left him. At first it felt a little unnerving, but then one of the nurses informed them he had a private room for recovery. They followed her instructions down the hallway, both anticipating something, anything, out of the ordinary. Yet they remained engulfed in this serenity, this calmness that everyone else around them projected, unaware of the present danger. Skye glanced around them timidly, looking for shadows, signs of unusual behavior.
Lucas stopped them at the correct door, checking its number twice before he opened it and they let themselves in. He froze at the threshold though, eyes caught with Taylor's gentle figure sitting near Mira, talking to her in hushed tones. Skye pushed him onwards a bit to close the door behind them, but Lucas remained caught. The sight was so unexpected, seeing Mira and Taylor act so freely, as if they were comfortable around one another.
Taylor moved his gaze to his son after awhile, acknowledging their presence. Mira didn't move or react visibly; her attention was still pointed at Carter and the sleeping child in her arms.
"Lucas," he greeted his son softly, moving his attention to Skye next. "Skye."
Mira stirred a bit, as if realizing only now they were no longer alone. She didn't turn to look though, just shifted a bit. "I'm glad that you're both alright," she said a moment later, sounding altogether moony. Skye suspected it was due to Carter's current condition, and the way Mira stared right at him as she spoke somewhat confirmed her suspicions.
"Alas we can't stop yet," Skye said, moving closer to the others and away from Lucas, who preferred the distance from his father.
"Commander," she started hesitantly, almost testing the waters before she dared to finish, "You're not safe."
"I'm listening," Taylor responded kindly, pointing Skye to a third chair near-by. He didn't extend the courtesy to his son, knowing the issues between still prevented such gestures. Lucas was easily flammable, and he didn't wish to light the match unknowingly.
"That man who came to us - Morris - he has spies in Terra Nova. Lucas and I believe they will not let us reach a peaceful solution once they realize we're no longer loyal to their employer," Skye explained, her cheeks flushed in excitement and partial fear as well. She stressed, knowing that bridging things - the people in this room - together still wasn't an easy task.
Taylor quirked a brow at Skye's words, looking straight at Lucas at this point, "Is that so?" he asked, sounding less than convinced. Lucas was leaning against the wall, his eyes cast to the floor, even as he knew his father was watching. Everything about this whole situation was absurd to him.
"Carter found out the identities of these people, but he's still unconscious. I… We fear that they will try and hurt you for being so lenient with us. All these gestures will mean nothing if you're assassinated by a Sixer as consequence," Skye continued to tell him about the pressing fears that consumed her thoughts. Words wanted to come out her mouth jumbled and unrecognizable, but somehow she managed to express herself with perfect clarity instead, taming her own insecurities.
"I told you to watch out for him," Lucas said, joining the conversation out of the blue. His words were meant as daggers towards his father for failing him. Lucas had given it some thought by now; how many things would've been avoided had Taylor actually done his job and screened everyone that came through that portal as instructed. Morris would've been contained by now. Just thinking this made him feel so mad, so powerless.
Skye watched their interaction with wide eyes, unwilling to step in the middle of it. The tension between father and son was at high levels again, palpable for the rest of them as well.
"I didn't take your warning seriously enough, son," Taylor answered, admitting his fault.
"Yes, you never did take me seriously," Lucas admitted, sounding downright poisonous.
"Don't you think none of this would've happened if you'd just shot me down that night?" He proceeded to hiss, clearly holding a grudge against his father for the love he still carried.
Why? Skye couldn't understand how Lucas thought gunning him down would've been the solution, or how he thought his father could've ever committed such an act, no matter what the consequences! She remained sidelined however, believing that these things needed to be said and heard, even as they wounded both parties in the process.
But Taylor was unmoved by the insult Lucas had thrown at him. "The truth is son: once I realized you'd told me the truth, I made damn sure we weeded out the rest of them," he revealed, watching with curiosity as Lucas' face fell and his hostility turned into shock. Skye was also staring at him, as if unable to grasp the revelation that had just been presented to them.
"After Skye's little adventure to the Eye, we tightened the security. When they searched the memory banks for your calculations, we caught them," Taylor continued, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his chair. There was a certain air of pride and competence to him at this moment, a reminder of how safe and trustworthy he'd once felt to both Skye and Lucas.
"There were five of them total. They also told me all about this Morris and his mission."
"You mean?" Skye breathed in amazement, letting the joy of her realization spread across her body.
"There's no one left to threaten Terra Nova now," Taylor confessed, keeping his eyes on Lucas. They exchanged knowing looks, unspoken thoughts. There was no one left to threaten Terra Nova unless Lucas would make it his task again. Taylor was quietly asking his son not to indulge the destructive impulses that remained compulsively ingrained to his personality.
"You need to dispose of them," Lucas said a second later, making Skye jump in her seat. "You can't make another mistake. This time you need to handle the threat for good."
Taylor seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea, although he knew it was true. His posture gained a dimension of unease, anxiety.
At this point though, Mira joined in the conversation. "Let fate decide," she said coldly. "There is another rift in the Badlands. I say we make them choose."
Mira's suggestion wasn't any less gruesome, but at least it was better than plain execution or letting them run wild in the jungle. Lucas had suggested Taylor lacked what it took to protect Terra Nova, and he was clearly testing his father's conviction. Mira's suggestion made sense though; Skye could see how Taylor considered it and accepted it.
"With the bridge blown, we can't afford to take any chances," Taylor said. "You're right in this."
A small smirk played over Lucas' lips, never quite maturing into a genuine smile. Despite everything that went on between them, a little boy remained inside Lucas, yearning for the acceptance of a distant father. Recognition, even in such a small issue, was something he craved for. Taylor just hadn't really seen this before; Lucas had been set on his ways to extract revenge to pay attention to the times when his father had actually seen him for what he was and appreciated the sight.
Mira held Sienna tightly in her arms, placing a soft kiss atop her head as she glanced at Taylor from her eye corner. She hadn't expected this to be honest; the three years she'd spent in exile, serving Lucas the best she could to repay her debt, she hadn't thought it possible for father and son to see eye-to-eye on anything. And it hadn't been just Lucas who had mellowed, no; his father had equally opened his eyes to really look at his son.
"We were just talking before you arrived," Mira began her sentence a bit quizzically, "about the future I mean."
She had everyone's attention now and held it for a moment, expecting Lucas to deny her right to make deals or even converse with his father, yet Lucas remained unreadable and silent. Mira held onto this moment hesitantly, realizing only now that the debt was finally paid. They were no longer servant and master, dancing endlessly to a destructive tune of madness together; instead they were equals.
"It is utopian to expect us to live in Terra Nova. There is too much history and bloodshed between us," she then explained, realizing that the others agreed with her, even Skye, who was the girl lost between two homes.
"But what we did, it puts our ledger ahead a bit. We're no longer in the red, nor are we in the white. It suits me fine. I have asked Taylor if we can co-exist. He believes we can," Mira continued, struggling with words mid-speech, as if trying her best not to insult anyone.
"We have agreed that the Sixers can continue living on their own, undisturbed," Taylor offered assistance. "A truce between us could become peace eventually."
Skye looked nervous now. Her knees were pressed together and she leaned closer to hear what Taylor had to say. It was only when she felt Lucas' hand land on her shoulder comfortingly that she relaxed visibly. Lucas stood next to her, not knowing what to feel about this news.
"We would trade, have council together, behave like good neighbors," Mira listed, "and most importantly, we wouldn't restrict movement between the two camps."
Taylor was now looking straight at Skye. "You could still live here, or visit your mother anytime you wanted," he clarified, the underlying affection in his voice sparking hope in her.
"All is forgiven?" Lucas asked brashly, leaving no room for misunderstandings; He wasn't convinced, but he did not outright condemn the idea. At least that was something.
"Forgiveness is something we can all work on," Taylor paused for a bit, "-With time."
It was more than she could've hoped for just weeks ago. It was more than she had even dared to dream of when she'd met Lucas for the first time.
"It won't be easy," Mira warned them. "The scars will outlast memory, feuds will erupt easily."
Skye felt Lucas' hand pull away, and then she saw him move past her. He stopped right in front of his father, his tall figure seething with anger. His self-control held the reins though; he acted like a better man and extended his hand to his father.
Taylor rose from his seat slowly, face concurred by disbelief. He extended his own hand towards Lucas with uncertainty, almost expecting his son to rush off any minute now and end the cruel joke. Instead Lucas took the hand with a sigh, shook it while staring angrily into his father's eyes, and held it for an extended moment.
He wasn't a man of his word, not the old Lucas who'd betrayed, lied and done almost anything to reach his goals. He'd wanted to be a better man, a loyal man, so why had the only way to achieve that been the betrayal of an alliance? So no, he didn't expect his word to carry much for his father, for the great unsullied Nathaniel Taylor, but he would keep his word anyway. He'd keep the Sixers safe, help them build a life here, and he'd be damned before he would let Carter die in that bed.
Taylor read into Lucas' gaze, that determination he saw burning in it. Lucas as whole was largely unrecognizable to him, yet the little things remained: tells and details. His vision was unclouded, and he believed his son.
As they parted ways, Skye rose to tie her arms around Lucas. She could feel the strain this reunion had put him under, the ways it had tested his resolve, and she was proud of him. For a moment she just held him tight, expressing wordlessly how grateful she was. He'd kept his promise to make things right, and this was more than enough for her.
"You two should get back," Mira suggested calmly, gaining their attention. Taylor frowned with surprise.
"Make sure everyone is alright, tell them what we have agreed," Mira explained, staring at Carter's unconscious body on the bed. "They'll need someone now. The floods are coming, people are scattered and we have new pilgrims."
Lucas glanced at Skye warily. He expected her to say no, to ask for her mother and be selfish for once. Instead Skye looked back at Mira intently. "You want to stay here with Carter, don't you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"This is my place," Mira responded with warmth, absolute certainty. She didn't need to voice anything else. She'd be here for Carter, help him back on his feet or stay by him if the end came.
Skye turned to Taylor now with similar confidence, cool acceptance of her place in this world. "I'm needed elsewhere, but in time, I would like to see my mother," she told him.
He took her announcement calmly, accepting it now as he recognized the change in her. "She'll be in good hands, Skye," he promised.
Skye surprised him though by stepping away from Lucas and then closing in on him to embrace him. Taylor felt almost powerless for a moment, caught in this unexpected situation, in her sincere gesture of affection. He tied his arms around her as well after a moment's hesitation, remembering Lucas' earlier words.
"You were always like a father to me," Skye whispered her confession, her voice betraying the pain she had gone through for lying to him, for having broken his trust. Her honesty pierced his armor, made him ignore all the hurt and pain she'd caused and just tell her, "You're my daughter, nothing changes that."
Lucas shivered unwittingly as he witnessed this. Wasn't it the bond he'd always craved from his father, before his wishes had turned to blind hatred? Wasn't it what he had once had with his mother? He looked vulnerable for a moment there, a trace of what he truly felt was exposed, but by the time Skye and Taylor let go and stepped apart, he'd already disguised himself.
Lucas walked to Mira instead, leaning towards her over the chair. "We'll be back for you," he said softly. Mira didn't say anything to him; she didn't find words for this calm. Lucas wasn't offended though, he rather appreciated her silent acceptance. He did offer Carter one last look, before he extended his hand to Skye and pulled her towards the door in his wake.
It wasn't the end, this was not a goodbye, and yet Mira felt herself tear up a bit. She alone stayed behind, keeping watch. Taylor excused himself eventually, seeking rest, and probably receiving none after he was within his own again. They would bombard him with questions, try and understand his motives. And he would tell them about everything, but thankfully it was not Mira's job to worry.
She sank into her chair as time went by. She waited for a sign: movement, a sound, anything really. Carter remained still; she needed to blink her eyes to even see that his chest moved. Sense argued against this, but she remained by his side. She'd be here when he woke up.
Three days passed by in a haze. She felt in joy in seeing Sienna recognize her, sit on her lap mute with admiration. She felt frustration in trying to argue with Taylor's men, trying to keep her own comrades in line at the infirmary. She felt confined within these walls, and hated to be outside them. She felt gratitude when Elizabeth brought her own daughter Zoe to play with Sienna, thus giving Mira a long awaited breather, some time alone.
In the middle of this change, all these people, all these conversations and plans, she was caught in the eye of the hurricane, a target painted at her forehead. Mira didn't mind though, she endured.
Elizabeth had removed the breathing apparatus and explained to Mira that Carter should awaken any day now. He lay on the bed eyes closed, chest barely moving. And Mira had this image burned on her retinas, haunting her wherever she went. It no longer mattered if she was here or not; she was still seeing him.
In the end irritation won.
"What were you trying to prove, James?" she asked him, hands crossed over the side of the bed with her leaned against them. "That there was nothing you wouldn't do for me?"
She rolled her eyes at the thought, biting at her lip bitterly. "Did you think I didn't know that?" she asked next, her expression changing as a deep frown distorted her perfect skin.
"Of course I did," she then answered her own question with a sardonic voice. "Of course I did."
No matter how subconscious it had been, she'd known. He'd been in her heart for a long time now, but she'd purposefully rejected every conscious thought about them as anything else but a leader and her second. And yet it had been plain for them all to see the affection, the threads that connected them. Telling him now wasn't any different from talking to the wind - just a foolish attempt at mending something she hadn't known she had broken.
She was cracking at the seams, having to look at him like this. "Would you believe me if I told you were agreeing? That we're getting along?" she questioned coyly. "That Lucas shook his father's hand and did not do so with the intention of betrayal?"
It certainly would've marked the end of the world once upon a time. Instead they were free from that fate now, content in just living. No more weighted down by the need to fight to the bitter end.
"She looks at me with so much admiration, so much love," she then confessed her weakness. "I hadn't forgotten what it feels like, because you would look at me like that sometimes."
Mira inched herself closer to him, sitting on the very edge of her chair, still waiting for him to show new vital signs. "Can you remember?" she asked, sounding hopeful suddenly. "Before you left. I could hear you say the words you never dared to say. I bared myself in front of you."
Still nothing.
"Sienna still believes in fairytales. She told me to kiss you awake," she smiled, rolling her eyes with amusement. "Wouldn't that be something: if you woke up with a kiss?"
Her hand reached for his face, her fingertips brushing against his pale cheek, and then landing over his lips. She focused on her fingertips, the almost unnoticeable feel of air brushing against them as he breathed. It was small but important. Everything paled in comparison to these moments where she could tell he was still with her.
Mira rose, fingers still hovering over his lips. She moved her unruly hair aside, leaned over his frame. Although hesitant at first, she closed in on his face before planting her lips over his. His lips were cold, unresponsive. Yet she gave more of herself in that kiss than she had intended, enjoying the feel of his lips and the taste of him. Mira withdrew casually after she was done, feeling that dark lump in her throat again, pressing at her windpipe. It wanted to choke her in tears, break her. It failed.
Mira retreated back to her seat, shaking her head at her own stupidity, whilst smiling at the absurdity of it all. She closed his hand in her grip, rubbing warmth into his icy cold skin.
"See now?" she said, sounding almost jesting. "This is what happens to optimists," she continued. "Once you have something worth losing, you lose it."
Her peaceful eyes were upon him again, as she searched for signs of awakening against her own sense. He remained still.
Always on the outside, looking inside - perhaps that was her fate? Mira recalled the times she'd been on the street, watching people clutch one another in the light, in safety, while she'd struggled to live through another night. She recalled the nights in the jungle with the cold digging through her clothes, her defenses, and thinking how much easier it would've been to embrace someone else in this fight for survival.
Without realizing she'd begun humming an old jazz tune. Her fingers were drumming along with it against his bed. The moment was eerie, slow to unravel. She didn't even notice at first that his fingers moved, struggling to join her in her lamenting. Mira was distracted, unable to see or hear.
His eyes opened to a sensitized reality; a dim light, a feeling of warmth, her lovely voice humming a familiar tune. His chest and rose as calmly as before, consciousness crept upon him. Carter just watched her, so unaware. Faint recollection of her voice guiding him to her was present, but he didn't need to remember her words to see the change in her. He could tell, could taste her all over his lips.
Carter managed to move his fingers more this time, and it disrupted her calm, stirred her awake. Mira's head snapped at him, at his hand that now rested over hers, and then at his eyes, his open eyes. She stared for a second; unsure whether she was dreaming or awake.
"James?"
He answered her with an enigmatic expression, a hint of slyness, satisfaction. Her surprise turned into joy.
"Did you kiss me?" he asked, sounding barely cohesive. His voice was still weak, everything about him a bit off.
"I did," she confessed. She saw him wet his lips with the edge of his tongue and then swallow sharply, as if he could tell just by doing that. Mira leaned closer to see him, to whisper so no one else would hear.
There was a gleam in her eyes when she spoke again. "Would you like me to do it again?" she suggested almost innocently.
He nodded lazily, caressing her hand with his fingers. "I didn't quite catch the first time," he told her, shaking his head lightly.
A smile played on his lips before she pressed her lips on his again, drowning them both in closeness. Carter forced his other hand to her back of her head, entangled his fingers in her hair to get a hold. She was so soft to kiss, nothing like his rough lips and jarred movement.
When their lips parted, she played her finger over his lips, before kissing him again. He pressed into her kiss the best he could, having imagined this moment so many times, before interrupting his fantasies and deeming just that - mere fantasies.
It felt right. Finally everything felt right.
He gripped her hand when she gave them room to breathe, to speak. There was adorn in her eyes, previously unseen by him; He quite appreciated this sight, although he hadn't expected it. She truly was more beautiful now that her defenses were down, and she allowed him to see past them.
"I'll take you home," she promised. Her implication was more than clear; she would take care of him now, not the other way around.
TBC
Fandom: Terra Nova
Ship: Skye/Lucas
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: bad language, sexual situations, AU
Chapter: 29/30
Summary: AU story. Skye meets a strange man at Snakehead Falls and ends up falling in love. But can happiness built on anonymity last, when the world around them is on fire?
Author's Note: Aaand it's over! Just posting the last few chapters here...
Things Lost in the Fire
29. Briar Rose
She gripped his hand tight as they hurried onwards through the maze of corridors that led to the brig. Worry was a constant in her life now; it was a dreaded guest in no hurry to leave, and she was only now starting to get used to its presence. She had had to face so many things alone in these weeks, but these events had left her hardened, her resolve strengthened. It was this strength that shone through in her every action. She'd tackled Lucas' hurt, offering him an alternative, and seeing the results of that work was what made her confident now. Together they were more than the simple sum of parts, pieces of incomplete people.
He pushed the door open for them and they were greeted by a hot swirl of air. Skye stopped without fully realizing she'd done so, as they were suddenly the target of countless curious eyes. People had gathered outside, frozen as they watched the scene that unraveled before them. The soldiers were giving room from the masses to the Sixers that walked freely in the streets of Terra Nova. Lucas narrowed his eyes, catching other familiar faces in the midst of their reunions. The Sixers didn't seem concerned with the Terra Novans, or their lack of understanding. They simply focused on the people they were here for, helping the team back on their feet and towards the gates.
Eyes were upon Lucas and Skye as well; blame marked those gazes with unspoken accusation. Yet Skye only held onto his hand tighter and faced the situation bravely. She was the one who pulled him back into motion, who stood with her head held high, even as former friends and acquaintances struggled to conceive her role in all of this. They walked through the path secured by the soldiers, keeping distance from the crowd, minds set on their goal in spite of this distraction.
Everything seemed different in the light of day. Their feud seemed so small and inconsequential, even as they were stared at with mouths ajar. Lucas kept expecting riots, irrationals bursts of aggression, insults, and yet none of those things came. They walked in peace through the path that was laid out for them, and even as he knew this was not a hero's victory parade, he couldn't help feeling like this in itself was an achievement for them.
Skye opened the door to the infirmary, urging him to enter after her. The tugging awoke Lucas who hadn't realized he'd stared right back at the crowd observing him, piqued by their quiet… could it really be disgruntled acceptance?
Reality came crashing as they entered the infirmary, where Elizabeth Shannon was trying to hold down one of their companions with the help of the restraints and a few soldiers. Lucas let go of Skye's hand and walked into the situation, grabbing hold of patient's, Ludmila's, hand. He claimed her eyes with his, calming her instantly as he gripped her hand. She stopped fighting, bewildered by his presence.
"She cannot leave yet," Elizabeth hurried to explain, her voice saturated by genuine care. "I need her to stay in for observation, but she isn't listening to us."
Lucas' expression softened. "Did you hear that?" he asked his companion, gaining an insightful nod as response from her. "You get better first."
"They are letting everyone go, Ludmila," Skye said, appearing into her field of vision unexpectedly.
"Everyone that's not in the infirmary," Elizabeth pointed out, underlining her last words. "From what I understand, you've been through quite an ordeal. It's my duty as a doctor to make sure you're alright first."
Ludmila glanced from Skye to Lucas, as if questioning Elizabeth's words. Her face was covered in sweat; it glued her long hair to her face, made her eyeliner stain beneath her eyes. She looked delirious, uncertain, and a little paranoid. But she remained still, waiting for someone to tell it was alright.
"You can trust her," Skye said with a frown.
Lucas felt the grip on his hand falter after that, and then watched as Ludmila withdrew her hand from his hold. She laid her head on the pillow again, looking at Elizabeth at a distance, but no longer fighting back when Elizabeth withdrew a syringe and moved in to take blood. Lucas gave her a marking look before he and Skye continued onwards.
Carter wasn't where Lucas had left him. At first it felt a little unnerving, but then one of the nurses informed them he had a private room for recovery. They followed her instructions down the hallway, both anticipating something, anything, out of the ordinary. Yet they remained engulfed in this serenity, this calmness that everyone else around them projected, unaware of the present danger. Skye glanced around them timidly, looking for shadows, signs of unusual behavior.
Lucas stopped them at the correct door, checking its number twice before he opened it and they let themselves in. He froze at the threshold though, eyes caught with Taylor's gentle figure sitting near Mira, talking to her in hushed tones. Skye pushed him onwards a bit to close the door behind them, but Lucas remained caught. The sight was so unexpected, seeing Mira and Taylor act so freely, as if they were comfortable around one another.
Taylor moved his gaze to his son after awhile, acknowledging their presence. Mira didn't move or react visibly; her attention was still pointed at Carter and the sleeping child in her arms.
"Lucas," he greeted his son softly, moving his attention to Skye next. "Skye."
Mira stirred a bit, as if realizing only now they were no longer alone. She didn't turn to look though, just shifted a bit. "I'm glad that you're both alright," she said a moment later, sounding altogether moony. Skye suspected it was due to Carter's current condition, and the way Mira stared right at him as she spoke somewhat confirmed her suspicions.
"Alas we can't stop yet," Skye said, moving closer to the others and away from Lucas, who preferred the distance from his father.
"Commander," she started hesitantly, almost testing the waters before she dared to finish, "You're not safe."
"I'm listening," Taylor responded kindly, pointing Skye to a third chair near-by. He didn't extend the courtesy to his son, knowing the issues between still prevented such gestures. Lucas was easily flammable, and he didn't wish to light the match unknowingly.
"That man who came to us - Morris - he has spies in Terra Nova. Lucas and I believe they will not let us reach a peaceful solution once they realize we're no longer loyal to their employer," Skye explained, her cheeks flushed in excitement and partial fear as well. She stressed, knowing that bridging things - the people in this room - together still wasn't an easy task.
Taylor quirked a brow at Skye's words, looking straight at Lucas at this point, "Is that so?" he asked, sounding less than convinced. Lucas was leaning against the wall, his eyes cast to the floor, even as he knew his father was watching. Everything about this whole situation was absurd to him.
"Carter found out the identities of these people, but he's still unconscious. I… We fear that they will try and hurt you for being so lenient with us. All these gestures will mean nothing if you're assassinated by a Sixer as consequence," Skye continued to tell him about the pressing fears that consumed her thoughts. Words wanted to come out her mouth jumbled and unrecognizable, but somehow she managed to express herself with perfect clarity instead, taming her own insecurities.
"I told you to watch out for him," Lucas said, joining the conversation out of the blue. His words were meant as daggers towards his father for failing him. Lucas had given it some thought by now; how many things would've been avoided had Taylor actually done his job and screened everyone that came through that portal as instructed. Morris would've been contained by now. Just thinking this made him feel so mad, so powerless.
Skye watched their interaction with wide eyes, unwilling to step in the middle of it. The tension between father and son was at high levels again, palpable for the rest of them as well.
"I didn't take your warning seriously enough, son," Taylor answered, admitting his fault.
"Yes, you never did take me seriously," Lucas admitted, sounding downright poisonous.
"Don't you think none of this would've happened if you'd just shot me down that night?" He proceeded to hiss, clearly holding a grudge against his father for the love he still carried.
Why? Skye couldn't understand how Lucas thought gunning him down would've been the solution, or how he thought his father could've ever committed such an act, no matter what the consequences! She remained sidelined however, believing that these things needed to be said and heard, even as they wounded both parties in the process.
But Taylor was unmoved by the insult Lucas had thrown at him. "The truth is son: once I realized you'd told me the truth, I made damn sure we weeded out the rest of them," he revealed, watching with curiosity as Lucas' face fell and his hostility turned into shock. Skye was also staring at him, as if unable to grasp the revelation that had just been presented to them.
"After Skye's little adventure to the Eye, we tightened the security. When they searched the memory banks for your calculations, we caught them," Taylor continued, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his chair. There was a certain air of pride and competence to him at this moment, a reminder of how safe and trustworthy he'd once felt to both Skye and Lucas.
"There were five of them total. They also told me all about this Morris and his mission."
"You mean?" Skye breathed in amazement, letting the joy of her realization spread across her body.
"There's no one left to threaten Terra Nova now," Taylor confessed, keeping his eyes on Lucas. They exchanged knowing looks, unspoken thoughts. There was no one left to threaten Terra Nova unless Lucas would make it his task again. Taylor was quietly asking his son not to indulge the destructive impulses that remained compulsively ingrained to his personality.
"You need to dispose of them," Lucas said a second later, making Skye jump in her seat. "You can't make another mistake. This time you need to handle the threat for good."
Taylor seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea, although he knew it was true. His posture gained a dimension of unease, anxiety.
At this point though, Mira joined in the conversation. "Let fate decide," she said coldly. "There is another rift in the Badlands. I say we make them choose."
Mira's suggestion wasn't any less gruesome, but at least it was better than plain execution or letting them run wild in the jungle. Lucas had suggested Taylor lacked what it took to protect Terra Nova, and he was clearly testing his father's conviction. Mira's suggestion made sense though; Skye could see how Taylor considered it and accepted it.
"With the bridge blown, we can't afford to take any chances," Taylor said. "You're right in this."
A small smirk played over Lucas' lips, never quite maturing into a genuine smile. Despite everything that went on between them, a little boy remained inside Lucas, yearning for the acceptance of a distant father. Recognition, even in such a small issue, was something he craved for. Taylor just hadn't really seen this before; Lucas had been set on his ways to extract revenge to pay attention to the times when his father had actually seen him for what he was and appreciated the sight.
Mira held Sienna tightly in her arms, placing a soft kiss atop her head as she glanced at Taylor from her eye corner. She hadn't expected this to be honest; the three years she'd spent in exile, serving Lucas the best she could to repay her debt, she hadn't thought it possible for father and son to see eye-to-eye on anything. And it hadn't been just Lucas who had mellowed, no; his father had equally opened his eyes to really look at his son.
"We were just talking before you arrived," Mira began her sentence a bit quizzically, "about the future I mean."
She had everyone's attention now and held it for a moment, expecting Lucas to deny her right to make deals or even converse with his father, yet Lucas remained unreadable and silent. Mira held onto this moment hesitantly, realizing only now that the debt was finally paid. They were no longer servant and master, dancing endlessly to a destructive tune of madness together; instead they were equals.
"It is utopian to expect us to live in Terra Nova. There is too much history and bloodshed between us," she then explained, realizing that the others agreed with her, even Skye, who was the girl lost between two homes.
"But what we did, it puts our ledger ahead a bit. We're no longer in the red, nor are we in the white. It suits me fine. I have asked Taylor if we can co-exist. He believes we can," Mira continued, struggling with words mid-speech, as if trying her best not to insult anyone.
"We have agreed that the Sixers can continue living on their own, undisturbed," Taylor offered assistance. "A truce between us could become peace eventually."
Skye looked nervous now. Her knees were pressed together and she leaned closer to hear what Taylor had to say. It was only when she felt Lucas' hand land on her shoulder comfortingly that she relaxed visibly. Lucas stood next to her, not knowing what to feel about this news.
"We would trade, have council together, behave like good neighbors," Mira listed, "and most importantly, we wouldn't restrict movement between the two camps."
Taylor was now looking straight at Skye. "You could still live here, or visit your mother anytime you wanted," he clarified, the underlying affection in his voice sparking hope in her.
"All is forgiven?" Lucas asked brashly, leaving no room for misunderstandings; He wasn't convinced, but he did not outright condemn the idea. At least that was something.
"Forgiveness is something we can all work on," Taylor paused for a bit, "-With time."
It was more than she could've hoped for just weeks ago. It was more than she had even dared to dream of when she'd met Lucas for the first time.
"It won't be easy," Mira warned them. "The scars will outlast memory, feuds will erupt easily."
Skye felt Lucas' hand pull away, and then she saw him move past her. He stopped right in front of his father, his tall figure seething with anger. His self-control held the reins though; he acted like a better man and extended his hand to his father.
Taylor rose from his seat slowly, face concurred by disbelief. He extended his own hand towards Lucas with uncertainty, almost expecting his son to rush off any minute now and end the cruel joke. Instead Lucas took the hand with a sigh, shook it while staring angrily into his father's eyes, and held it for an extended moment.
He wasn't a man of his word, not the old Lucas who'd betrayed, lied and done almost anything to reach his goals. He'd wanted to be a better man, a loyal man, so why had the only way to achieve that been the betrayal of an alliance? So no, he didn't expect his word to carry much for his father, for the great unsullied Nathaniel Taylor, but he would keep his word anyway. He'd keep the Sixers safe, help them build a life here, and he'd be damned before he would let Carter die in that bed.
Taylor read into Lucas' gaze, that determination he saw burning in it. Lucas as whole was largely unrecognizable to him, yet the little things remained: tells and details. His vision was unclouded, and he believed his son.
As they parted ways, Skye rose to tie her arms around Lucas. She could feel the strain this reunion had put him under, the ways it had tested his resolve, and she was proud of him. For a moment she just held him tight, expressing wordlessly how grateful she was. He'd kept his promise to make things right, and this was more than enough for her.
"You two should get back," Mira suggested calmly, gaining their attention. Taylor frowned with surprise.
"Make sure everyone is alright, tell them what we have agreed," Mira explained, staring at Carter's unconscious body on the bed. "They'll need someone now. The floods are coming, people are scattered and we have new pilgrims."
Lucas glanced at Skye warily. He expected her to say no, to ask for her mother and be selfish for once. Instead Skye looked back at Mira intently. "You want to stay here with Carter, don't you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"This is my place," Mira responded with warmth, absolute certainty. She didn't need to voice anything else. She'd be here for Carter, help him back on his feet or stay by him if the end came.
Skye turned to Taylor now with similar confidence, cool acceptance of her place in this world. "I'm needed elsewhere, but in time, I would like to see my mother," she told him.
He took her announcement calmly, accepting it now as he recognized the change in her. "She'll be in good hands, Skye," he promised.
Skye surprised him though by stepping away from Lucas and then closing in on him to embrace him. Taylor felt almost powerless for a moment, caught in this unexpected situation, in her sincere gesture of affection. He tied his arms around her as well after a moment's hesitation, remembering Lucas' earlier words.
"You were always like a father to me," Skye whispered her confession, her voice betraying the pain she had gone through for lying to him, for having broken his trust. Her honesty pierced his armor, made him ignore all the hurt and pain she'd caused and just tell her, "You're my daughter, nothing changes that."
Lucas shivered unwittingly as he witnessed this. Wasn't it the bond he'd always craved from his father, before his wishes had turned to blind hatred? Wasn't it what he had once had with his mother? He looked vulnerable for a moment there, a trace of what he truly felt was exposed, but by the time Skye and Taylor let go and stepped apart, he'd already disguised himself.
Lucas walked to Mira instead, leaning towards her over the chair. "We'll be back for you," he said softly. Mira didn't say anything to him; she didn't find words for this calm. Lucas wasn't offended though, he rather appreciated her silent acceptance. He did offer Carter one last look, before he extended his hand to Skye and pulled her towards the door in his wake.
It wasn't the end, this was not a goodbye, and yet Mira felt herself tear up a bit. She alone stayed behind, keeping watch. Taylor excused himself eventually, seeking rest, and probably receiving none after he was within his own again. They would bombard him with questions, try and understand his motives. And he would tell them about everything, but thankfully it was not Mira's job to worry.
She sank into her chair as time went by. She waited for a sign: movement, a sound, anything really. Carter remained still; she needed to blink her eyes to even see that his chest moved. Sense argued against this, but she remained by his side. She'd be here when he woke up.
Three days passed by in a haze. She felt in joy in seeing Sienna recognize her, sit on her lap mute with admiration. She felt frustration in trying to argue with Taylor's men, trying to keep her own comrades in line at the infirmary. She felt confined within these walls, and hated to be outside them. She felt gratitude when Elizabeth brought her own daughter Zoe to play with Sienna, thus giving Mira a long awaited breather, some time alone.
In the middle of this change, all these people, all these conversations and plans, she was caught in the eye of the hurricane, a target painted at her forehead. Mira didn't mind though, she endured.
Elizabeth had removed the breathing apparatus and explained to Mira that Carter should awaken any day now. He lay on the bed eyes closed, chest barely moving. And Mira had this image burned on her retinas, haunting her wherever she went. It no longer mattered if she was here or not; she was still seeing him.
In the end irritation won.
"What were you trying to prove, James?" she asked him, hands crossed over the side of the bed with her leaned against them. "That there was nothing you wouldn't do for me?"
She rolled her eyes at the thought, biting at her lip bitterly. "Did you think I didn't know that?" she asked next, her expression changing as a deep frown distorted her perfect skin.
"Of course I did," she then answered her own question with a sardonic voice. "Of course I did."
No matter how subconscious it had been, she'd known. He'd been in her heart for a long time now, but she'd purposefully rejected every conscious thought about them as anything else but a leader and her second. And yet it had been plain for them all to see the affection, the threads that connected them. Telling him now wasn't any different from talking to the wind - just a foolish attempt at mending something she hadn't known she had broken.
She was cracking at the seams, having to look at him like this. "Would you believe me if I told you were agreeing? That we're getting along?" she questioned coyly. "That Lucas shook his father's hand and did not do so with the intention of betrayal?"
It certainly would've marked the end of the world once upon a time. Instead they were free from that fate now, content in just living. No more weighted down by the need to fight to the bitter end.
"She looks at me with so much admiration, so much love," she then confessed her weakness. "I hadn't forgotten what it feels like, because you would look at me like that sometimes."
Mira inched herself closer to him, sitting on the very edge of her chair, still waiting for him to show new vital signs. "Can you remember?" she asked, sounding hopeful suddenly. "Before you left. I could hear you say the words you never dared to say. I bared myself in front of you."
Still nothing.
"Sienna still believes in fairytales. She told me to kiss you awake," she smiled, rolling her eyes with amusement. "Wouldn't that be something: if you woke up with a kiss?"
Her hand reached for his face, her fingertips brushing against his pale cheek, and then landing over his lips. She focused on her fingertips, the almost unnoticeable feel of air brushing against them as he breathed. It was small but important. Everything paled in comparison to these moments where she could tell he was still with her.
Mira rose, fingers still hovering over his lips. She moved her unruly hair aside, leaned over his frame. Although hesitant at first, she closed in on his face before planting her lips over his. His lips were cold, unresponsive. Yet she gave more of herself in that kiss than she had intended, enjoying the feel of his lips and the taste of him. Mira withdrew casually after she was done, feeling that dark lump in her throat again, pressing at her windpipe. It wanted to choke her in tears, break her. It failed.
Mira retreated back to her seat, shaking her head at her own stupidity, whilst smiling at the absurdity of it all. She closed his hand in her grip, rubbing warmth into his icy cold skin.
"See now?" she said, sounding almost jesting. "This is what happens to optimists," she continued. "Once you have something worth losing, you lose it."
Her peaceful eyes were upon him again, as she searched for signs of awakening against her own sense. He remained still.
Always on the outside, looking inside - perhaps that was her fate? Mira recalled the times she'd been on the street, watching people clutch one another in the light, in safety, while she'd struggled to live through another night. She recalled the nights in the jungle with the cold digging through her clothes, her defenses, and thinking how much easier it would've been to embrace someone else in this fight for survival.
Without realizing she'd begun humming an old jazz tune. Her fingers were drumming along with it against his bed. The moment was eerie, slow to unravel. She didn't even notice at first that his fingers moved, struggling to join her in her lamenting. Mira was distracted, unable to see or hear.
His eyes opened to a sensitized reality; a dim light, a feeling of warmth, her lovely voice humming a familiar tune. His chest and rose as calmly as before, consciousness crept upon him. Carter just watched her, so unaware. Faint recollection of her voice guiding him to her was present, but he didn't need to remember her words to see the change in her. He could tell, could taste her all over his lips.
Carter managed to move his fingers more this time, and it disrupted her calm, stirred her awake. Mira's head snapped at him, at his hand that now rested over hers, and then at his eyes, his open eyes. She stared for a second; unsure whether she was dreaming or awake.
"James?"
He answered her with an enigmatic expression, a hint of slyness, satisfaction. Her surprise turned into joy.
"Did you kiss me?" he asked, sounding barely cohesive. His voice was still weak, everything about him a bit off.
"I did," she confessed. She saw him wet his lips with the edge of his tongue and then swallow sharply, as if he could tell just by doing that. Mira leaned closer to see him, to whisper so no one else would hear.
There was a gleam in her eyes when she spoke again. "Would you like me to do it again?" she suggested almost innocently.
He nodded lazily, caressing her hand with his fingers. "I didn't quite catch the first time," he told her, shaking his head lightly.
A smile played on his lips before she pressed her lips on his again, drowning them both in closeness. Carter forced his other hand to her back of her head, entangled his fingers in her hair to get a hold. She was so soft to kiss, nothing like his rough lips and jarred movement.
When their lips parted, she played her finger over his lips, before kissing him again. He pressed into her kiss the best he could, having imagined this moment so many times, before interrupting his fantasies and deeming just that - mere fantasies.
It felt right. Finally everything felt right.
He gripped her hand when she gave them room to breathe, to speak. There was adorn in her eyes, previously unseen by him; He quite appreciated this sight, although he hadn't expected it. She truly was more beautiful now that her defenses were down, and she allowed him to see past them.
"I'll take you home," she promised. Her implication was more than clear; she would take care of him now, not the other way around.
TBC