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trans_92011-03-11 06:38 pm
nothawkingbird.livejournal.com) wrote in trans_92011-03-11 06:38 pm
Entry tags:
Relief and exhaustion [Open]
It seemed unreal, and yet Kate should have known. They should have looked harder. Other heroes came back before, it wasn't completely surprising for her. Even her father was back. But months past, and they were sure of it. Sure Cassie was gone forever.
Yet, they were wrong, and had no idea she was trapped somewhere. And the hell she went through before they somehow found her. It was heartbreaking. She had visited and made sure she was in Medbay all right, but eventually she stepped away to take a break while her friend slept. Plus with Scott back, he could give her much needed support and look after his daughter again.
She was going to go for a jog in Hydroponics, but she ended up flopping down on the alien grass. She didn't even realize how tired she was because she drifted off moments later. She dozed amidst the plants as some of the fauna occasionally sniffed her curiously.
Yet, they were wrong, and had no idea she was trapped somewhere. And the hell she went through before they somehow found her. It was heartbreaking. She had visited and made sure she was in Medbay all right, but eventually she stepped away to take a break while her friend slept. Plus with Scott back, he could give her much needed support and look after his daughter again.
She was going to go for a jog in Hydroponics, but she ended up flopping down on the alien grass. She didn't even realize how tired she was because she drifted off moments later. She dozed amidst the plants as some of the fauna occasionally sniffed her curiously.
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Steering clear of the famous 'beer tree', he circled the grass in search of a place to sit and think. When he thought he'd found the perfect spot, it seemed to be already occupied. By Kate, if his eyes weren't deceiving him. Given all that she'd been through, it wasn't a surprise to him that she was exhausted.
Deciding to let her sleep for a little while longer, Billy instead removed his jacket and draped it over her, sitting guard. They could talk when she was ready.
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Some time later, her blue eyes blinked open gradually.
"Hmmm?" she murmured quizzically, and eyed the jacket with sleepy confusion.
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"Kate, hey," he whispered, patient enough to stay there a while longer. "Some of the wildlife was getting a little too curious with you. I sat here to chase them off."
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"Billy, you ok? And sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."
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"Don't worry about it. You're not the only one who's needed a nap in public recently. Besides, it was a good opportunity to meditate."
He stretched his legs in front of him, deep in thought. "I'm not surprised, really."
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"Not surprised about what?"
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"That exhaustion's set in for us," he noted, trailing his fingers over some grass and watching it bend. "After that last mission...I've worried, but I'm sure I'm not as invested as you are."
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She slowly nodded as her hands went back down on her sides, "Like I said, she's my best friend, and I'm glad she's ok now. But that means all this time... we should have thought maybe she would have shrunk or something. We should have looked harder for her."
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"All this time, I never even considered the possibility that she could still live. The explosion had had witnesses, we weren't sure she could shrink that far, and she never re-emerged. I think the site was searched at least once, but she was just too small to be detected except by the best equipment---that we didn't have on hand."
He sounded bitterly sad, still cringing at all the horror he'd guessed at from her condition.
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Kate sighed, "Is there any way we can get equipment that can do that? Detect someone alive that small?"
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On his way through to do just that, he spots one of the beasties nosing at something in the grass. Moving closer, he realizes that the something is actually his fellow Ranger, who seems about to be awoken from what looks like a much needed sleep.
Waving away the beastie with a quiet, "Shoo," Jamie considers leaving Kate to rest, but then changes his mind and settles in next to her. He has something to ask her anyway, so he might as well work on some finger exercises while he waits for her to wake up.
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"Hey, you play?"
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He holds out the chanter so she can look if she wants. "Hope ye don't mind my keeping ye company while ye rested. Ye looked like ye could use it."
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"We should play together sometime, I can bring my cello. And it's fine. Recent mission really wore me out." Physically and emotionally in fact.
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The word 'mission' catches his attention, and Jamie glances over at Kate, curiously. "Was it the same mission that Billy was on? The one he put the message up about?"
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She nodded, "It was a distress signal, and we found Cassie. My best friend had been alive and hurt all this time. Those things were torturing her, and we had no idea."
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It's probably for the best that Jamie didn't go along on that particular mission. He's still a bit new at this leadership thing, and his impulsive nature might have caused problems - especially in the face of torture.
"They'll not bother her again, will they?"
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He still wasn't looking forward to it.
He'd gone looking for Kate and he'd finally found her in hydroponics. Asleep. He shook his head with a little smile and then plopped himself down next to her, propped up on his elbows and took in the scenery. He'd give her a few more minutes before he tried to wake her up.
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"Hey, hon. Must have drifted off," she yawned and smiled.
Late forever.
"You making out OK?"
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He frowned; all he knew was second-hand. He hadn't known her too well, so going to see her had seemed out of the question. "What do you think?"
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He's had experience with this. Losing friends. Happens in wars.
"...if you blame yourself, you're just gonna agonize over it 'til it drives you crazy."
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"We could have done more though. It's not like heroes coming back to life is completely that weird back home. It just felt like that was it though. She was gone, and we abandoned her."
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He sighed. "I know what it's like to lose people, you know? I mean, I got friends who died back home. In my war. And... I know how much that eats up and you keep askin' and askin' yourself, 'what did I do wrong?'"
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"Exactly," she agreed, and snuggled more against him. "Sorry, it's all still settling in you know? Seeing her alive again even in her condition."
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Recently it had been a lot more sluggish than before, and Lash wasn't sure why. It looked...tired? At first she thought she had been feeding it bad things for its diet, but it still ate food. In fact it ate even more than before. Having its life as her responsibility was rather weird for her, but since it had demanded a walk that morning, she had followed along, content to watch it's tiny little feet waddle across the fields.
That's when she noticed Kate and gave her a wave, unknowing she was possibly still sleeping.
*kicks LJ*
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Unfortunately, Dog decided that this was the perfect moment to run around her and make the lease tighten across her legs. She fell rather unceremoniously close to the other girl with a thud.
"OW!"
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"What?!" She looked around, and then blinked at Lash, and her pet?
"Lash? You ok?"