Fic: Lost
Title: Lost
Fandom: Star Trek XI (modern day AU)
Pairing: Jim/always-a-girl!Bones
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Vampires and ghosts, hauntings and Halloween goodness, genderswap
Word Count: 1,260
Summary: Lena McCoy is convinced she's crazy. After all, ghosts aren't real and there's no other explanation for everything that's been going on.
It was a chill evening in late September the first time Lena McCoy felt the coolness of something other than a breeze tickling the strands of hair at the nape of her neck. Shivering, she glanced around, unable to shake the feeling that something strange was going on. Finding no one to blame the sensation on, she tugged her scarf a bit tighter and continued her walk.
It was when she felt it the second time that things changed.
Overlaid with the scenery around her was another, slightly different one. The contours of the hills were largely the same, but there were more trees and shrubs, growing wild around her. The road she was walking along was not made of asphalt, but of dirt, and the street lamps had been replaced with lanterns.
The biggest shock, though, was reserved for when she glanced down and saw that she was different too. Namely, she was no longer a she. Her skirt was gone, too, replaced by pants, and her scarf was missing altogether.
"Well, someone's out late," came a joking voice from her right, and she jumped, whirling around to find another shimmering figure, one with short dark hair and a crooked grin.
"In order for you to have noticed, you must have been out late yourself," she replied--only they weren't her words, and it wasn't her voice.
"You're a sharp one, James," grinned the figure. "In any case, I was on a walk down to the tavern, if you wanted to join me."
Lena blinked and the vision was gone, instead replaced by her more familiar surroundings. Clutching her jacket tighter around herself, she hurried to the bus stop she had been heading toward and stood underneath the light, quietly trying to calm herself. What had just happened?
Frowning, she decided she'd let her imagination run away with her. It had been known to happen from time to time, though normally it was reserved for those hazy moments between sleep and waking.
She had almost convinced herself of that when that eerie chill brushed her neck again. This time, it was accompanied by that light tenor of the man she had become: "Do not make my mistake."
Lena had never been more grateful for the arrival of the bus in her life.
~*~
Lena grinned at her friend as they sat at the bar. "So, Jim, how were your classes?"
"Boring as always," he replied easily, faking a yawn. "I don't know why I have to take them."
"Because somehow the college didn't give you credit and they're required classes," Lena smiled, well familiar with the conversation.
Jim sighed. "I don't suppose you could give a friend some comfort? I'm sure if someone would hug or maybe sleep with me I'd feel much--" he cut off with a yelp as she slapped his shoulder.
"No," she added, though he was already pouting at her refusal. Really, though, it was a little flattering. Even though he was a consummate flirt, she'd never seen him put so much effort into flirting with anyone who'd said no as many times as she had.
Suddenly she shivered, feeling that same eerie chill brush over the back of her neck again. "Did it just get colder in here?" she asked.
"No, he replied, looking puzzled. "Why?"
Lena sighed. "Nothing. Just felt cold all of a sudden."
"You sure you're all right?" he asked, leaning in. "You've seemed out of it all night."
Lena shivered again, this time definitely not from a change in temperature. "I have?"
"Yeah," he answered. "You keep looking around like you're worried about something, too."
"I don't know," she finally replied. "Maybe I need to get some more sleep."
"Maybe you do," he agreed. "I'll walk you back to your room, all right?"
Lena smiled, knowing better than to say no. If she did he would simply do it anyway. "Let's get going. Maybe everything'll settle down now that I can sleep without dreaming of that paper, huh?"
Jim laughed. "Maybe."
As they walked, however, Lena felt that chill again. No, she thought to herself. I'm walking home. Jim is right beside me. I'm Lena, not some guy from the past.
It seemed to work, at least this time.
~*~
However, sometimes it didn’t. Lena quickly found that whenever she walked alone, it happened again, with slightly varying scenes. She was going crazy; she was sure of it. Either that or she was being haunted and possessed by some ghost.
She didn’t believe in ghosts.
It seemed to be worth a try to talk to the thing, however, to try and get him to leave. James? she thought, feeling stupid even before the thought fully formed. Of course it wasn’t going to--
Hello, Lena, that light tenor replied.
Lena jumped, faltering in her steps. What-- who--?
My name is James, he replied. By this time, I would think you knew that.
Who are you? she demanded. What are you?
That is unimportant at this time, he answered dismissively. What is important is that you listen to me.
Why should I? Lena asked. You can’t be real. You’re just a voice in my head, some figment of my overactive imagination.
You must listen, James insisted. It is vital.
Listen to what? she finally wondered.
You must not make my mistake.
Lena had heard that one time too many. What mistake?! You keep saying that, but you never explain yourself.
She could have sworn she heard James sigh. You never sought me out. I did not have the power to explain without you calling to me.
That doesn’t answer my question, she thought impatiently.
One of your friends is not what he appears, he finally explained. Be wary, lest you suffer my fate.
Stunned, Lena could only think one thing. Get OUT! she demanded.
And just like that, there was silence.
~*~
The silence continued through the rest of October, through midterms and beyond, for which Lena was grateful. She continued to insist that she didn’t miss it.
She truly didn’t miss the chill that accompanied it, the chill that had led her to the habit of wearing scarves everywhere she went even though no amount of fabric helped.
Now it was Halloween, and she was once again at the bar with Jim.
“So,” he drawled. “I was thinking we could get out of here a little early. Maybe watch a movie or something.”
“All right,” Lena replied easily. She really only ever went out to be with Jim, anyway. It didn’t make a difference to her where they were.
She blinked when she found herself in the alley behind her dorm instead of in her room. “Jim, what--?”
He grinned, and the last thing she saw before a wave of pain was a pair of fangs that shouldn’t have been there.
~*~
A voice floated into her awareness. “I tried to warn you.”
“Tried to warn me of what?” Lena wondered blearily.
“Tried to warn you of my other. Tried to warn you of what I had become… what you are now.”
“We are…?”
“Lost souls,” James answered. “We remain in this form while what was once part of us continues to live on, turning others.”
“What do we do?” Lena asked, feeling the wrongness of such an existence.
“The only thing we can do,” James replied. “We find our marks. We try to warn them. Sometimes we succeed. Others…”
Though she no longer had a body, though that body even now was looking to turn another, Lena shivered.
Fandom: Star Trek XI (modern day AU)
Pairing: Jim/always-a-girl!Bones
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Vampires and ghosts, hauntings and Halloween goodness, genderswap
Word Count: 1,260
Summary: Lena McCoy is convinced she's crazy. After all, ghosts aren't real and there's no other explanation for everything that's been going on.
It was a chill evening in late September the first time Lena McCoy felt the coolness of something other than a breeze tickling the strands of hair at the nape of her neck. Shivering, she glanced around, unable to shake the feeling that something strange was going on. Finding no one to blame the sensation on, she tugged her scarf a bit tighter and continued her walk.
It was when she felt it the second time that things changed.
Overlaid with the scenery around her was another, slightly different one. The contours of the hills were largely the same, but there were more trees and shrubs, growing wild around her. The road she was walking along was not made of asphalt, but of dirt, and the street lamps had been replaced with lanterns.
The biggest shock, though, was reserved for when she glanced down and saw that she was different too. Namely, she was no longer a she. Her skirt was gone, too, replaced by pants, and her scarf was missing altogether.
"Well, someone's out late," came a joking voice from her right, and she jumped, whirling around to find another shimmering figure, one with short dark hair and a crooked grin.
"In order for you to have noticed, you must have been out late yourself," she replied--only they weren't her words, and it wasn't her voice.
"You're a sharp one, James," grinned the figure. "In any case, I was on a walk down to the tavern, if you wanted to join me."
Lena blinked and the vision was gone, instead replaced by her more familiar surroundings. Clutching her jacket tighter around herself, she hurried to the bus stop she had been heading toward and stood underneath the light, quietly trying to calm herself. What had just happened?
Frowning, she decided she'd let her imagination run away with her. It had been known to happen from time to time, though normally it was reserved for those hazy moments between sleep and waking.
She had almost convinced herself of that when that eerie chill brushed her neck again. This time, it was accompanied by that light tenor of the man she had become: "Do not make my mistake."
Lena had never been more grateful for the arrival of the bus in her life.
~*~
Lena grinned at her friend as they sat at the bar. "So, Jim, how were your classes?"
"Boring as always," he replied easily, faking a yawn. "I don't know why I have to take them."
"Because somehow the college didn't give you credit and they're required classes," Lena smiled, well familiar with the conversation.
Jim sighed. "I don't suppose you could give a friend some comfort? I'm sure if someone would hug or maybe sleep with me I'd feel much--" he cut off with a yelp as she slapped his shoulder.
"No," she added, though he was already pouting at her refusal. Really, though, it was a little flattering. Even though he was a consummate flirt, she'd never seen him put so much effort into flirting with anyone who'd said no as many times as she had.
Suddenly she shivered, feeling that same eerie chill brush over the back of her neck again. "Did it just get colder in here?" she asked.
"No, he replied, looking puzzled. "Why?"
Lena sighed. "Nothing. Just felt cold all of a sudden."
"You sure you're all right?" he asked, leaning in. "You've seemed out of it all night."
Lena shivered again, this time definitely not from a change in temperature. "I have?"
"Yeah," he answered. "You keep looking around like you're worried about something, too."
"I don't know," she finally replied. "Maybe I need to get some more sleep."
"Maybe you do," he agreed. "I'll walk you back to your room, all right?"
Lena smiled, knowing better than to say no. If she did he would simply do it anyway. "Let's get going. Maybe everything'll settle down now that I can sleep without dreaming of that paper, huh?"
Jim laughed. "Maybe."
As they walked, however, Lena felt that chill again. No, she thought to herself. I'm walking home. Jim is right beside me. I'm Lena, not some guy from the past.
It seemed to work, at least this time.
~*~
However, sometimes it didn’t. Lena quickly found that whenever she walked alone, it happened again, with slightly varying scenes. She was going crazy; she was sure of it. Either that or she was being haunted and possessed by some ghost.
She didn’t believe in ghosts.
It seemed to be worth a try to talk to the thing, however, to try and get him to leave. James? she thought, feeling stupid even before the thought fully formed. Of course it wasn’t going to--
Hello, Lena, that light tenor replied.
Lena jumped, faltering in her steps. What-- who--?
My name is James, he replied. By this time, I would think you knew that.
Who are you? she demanded. What are you?
That is unimportant at this time, he answered dismissively. What is important is that you listen to me.
Why should I? Lena asked. You can’t be real. You’re just a voice in my head, some figment of my overactive imagination.
You must listen, James insisted. It is vital.
Listen to what? she finally wondered.
You must not make my mistake.
Lena had heard that one time too many. What mistake?! You keep saying that, but you never explain yourself.
She could have sworn she heard James sigh. You never sought me out. I did not have the power to explain without you calling to me.
That doesn’t answer my question, she thought impatiently.
One of your friends is not what he appears, he finally explained. Be wary, lest you suffer my fate.
Stunned, Lena could only think one thing. Get OUT! she demanded.
And just like that, there was silence.
~*~
The silence continued through the rest of October, through midterms and beyond, for which Lena was grateful. She continued to insist that she didn’t miss it.
She truly didn’t miss the chill that accompanied it, the chill that had led her to the habit of wearing scarves everywhere she went even though no amount of fabric helped.
Now it was Halloween, and she was once again at the bar with Jim.
“So,” he drawled. “I was thinking we could get out of here a little early. Maybe watch a movie or something.”
“All right,” Lena replied easily. She really only ever went out to be with Jim, anyway. It didn’t make a difference to her where they were.
She blinked when she found herself in the alley behind her dorm instead of in her room. “Jim, what--?”
He grinned, and the last thing she saw before a wave of pain was a pair of fangs that shouldn’t have been there.
~*~
A voice floated into her awareness. “I tried to warn you.”
“Tried to warn me of what?” Lena wondered blearily.
“Tried to warn you of my other. Tried to warn you of what I had become… what you are now.”
“We are…?”
“Lost souls,” James answered. “We remain in this form while what was once part of us continues to live on, turning others.”
“What do we do?” Lena asked, feeling the wrongness of such an existence.
“The only thing we can do,” James replied. “We find our marks. We try to warn them. Sometimes we succeed. Others…”
Though she no longer had a body, though that body even now was looking to turn another, Lena shivered.