Terra Nova fic: Thick as Thieves chapter 7
Title: Thick as Thieves (7/?)
Rating: T just in case for later
Warnings: None for this chapter
Characters: Lucas Taylor, Michael Taylor (OC), Nathaniel Taylor, Skye Tate, Alicia Washington, possibly the Shannon family
Summary: This is an AU story about Lucas having a twin brother. Instead of rebelling like Lucas, Michael - his brother - remains loyal to their father. This fic explores their relationship and what would have happened in the series had Michael existed. There will be some Lucas/Skye in future chapters…
or read at ff.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7812172/7/Thick_as_Thieves
"Michael?"
He blinked, realising Wash was standing over him, her beautiful face upside-down and full of concern. She gently helped him sit up and he realised he had bandages around his torso, covering the gash across his chest. The stabbing sensation still remained, as if the blade was still lodged in his flesh, and he grimaced at the pain as she knelt down in front of him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," he breathed, rubbing his sore head. "How about you?" He touched her face, noticing the cut on her cheek, but she flinched and batted him away.
"I'm fine," she insisted. "We must have been out for a little while."
"We were?" He looked around him, confused, and then looked back down to the dressing on his wound. "Did you do this?"
"No. I only just woke up."
"My weapon's missing."
She wrinkled her nose, looking around for hers too. "Somebody bandaged you up, took our weapons, and then just left us?"
Michael looked back towards the symbols by the river, frowning. He had an idea who might have done this, but he wasn't sure how he felt about it. If it had been Lucas who bandaged him up, maybe he did still have an ounce of compassion left in that clouded head of his, but he wasn't sure if he trusted his brother with weapons. At least if he ever came across any danger like they had today, he would be protected. Witnessing what that Nykoraptor was capable of gave him chills. He feared the day they'd be on patrol and find a mangled body in the bushes belonging to his brother. He feared that more than the fear of not knowing, of lying in bed night after night, wondering where Lucas was sleeping and if he was alright.
"Come on," said Wash, helping him to his feet. "Let's get you back to the rover."
Commander Taylor wasn't thrilled to hear the news about their unfortunate discovery at Snakehead Falls, but he was relieved to see that Michael was still in one piece. He sat at his desk, frowning, his tired eyes meeting Michael's as he listened intently to what had happened.
"The whole area must be made off limits from now on," he said sternly, sitting up in his chair after Michael had finished. "No one steps foot in that place, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Michael nodded. "Understood."
His father got to his feet, eyeing Wash in the background. "Neither of you can ever tell anyone about this."
"Of course," she responded. "We won't."
"Good."
Michael cleared his throat, meeting his father's gaze again, but this time not as a soldier, but as a concerned son who was worried about the safety of his brother. "Dad…I want you to consider bringing Lucas back to Terra Nova."
Taylor's jaw stiffened, his eyes narrowing at him. Michael could see his hesitance, the way his frown deepened and how his body tensed. The undetermined silence was excruciating. Then he watched as his father sighed and turned to Lieutenant Washington. "Could you give us a moment, Wash?"
She nodded and left them be, glancing back at Michael uneasily. She smiled weakly at him and then left the two alone together. He watched her go, part of him wishing she would come back and stand by his side, the other part relieved she wasn't going to be present for this.
Commander Taylor approached his son, his cold expression speaking for him. "I know you're concerned about him but he made his choice, Michael."
"He was confused," he insisted. "He needs help. It's dangerous out there, he could get hurt!"
"I can't help that now, son. He's a traitor. He doesn't belong here, and you need to stop making excuses for him."
"He pretty much saved my life today."
"Or so you think."
Michael sighed, giving in. His gaze sunk down to his boots, noticing there were still a few drops of dried blood on them. He closed his eyes, the image of Lucas alone in the jungle, freezing, starving played in his mind. "I just…didn't want to lose him too."
His father placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him; the only family he had left. "I know. But this is the way things are now."
He smiled sadly, acceptingly, and then the reassurance of his father's hand on his shoulder slipped away and he began to slowly wander back towards the door.
"Michael, hang on a second. I meant to ask you something."
He stopped and raised his head curiously. "What?"
Taylor looked up from his desk, pausing a moment as his eyes met with his son's, his face suddenly very suspicious. "Is something going on between you and Wash?"
Michael froze. He knew. How? He suddenly felt exposed, as if his father was able to read his mind and discover all the secrets he had never divulged. He cleared his throat nervously, acting confused and startled by the accusation. "What do you mean?"
He softened a little bit, leaning against the desk again as if trying to appear less threatening. "Well, you seem to be spending a lot of time together lately and she…doesn't seem as focused."
Michael shook his head innocently, shrugging. "I hadn't noticed," he replied, forcing an anxious smile, feeling his wounds start to burn underneath the bandages.
"I was just starting to get concerned…"
"Nothing's going on, dad."
He held his breath as he watched his father look away, felt the relief flood him when he saw him nod acceptingly. "Okay. Thank you for being honest with me." He smiled appreciatively at him. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yeah. See you."
As he left the command centre, he felt his body relax again, his heart rate slowing. Honest. He scorned at the word. He was far from it. He had rarely lied to his father, not even as a child, and when he did he always came clean eventually, as the incident with Lucas had already demonstrated. But this time he had to lie. Of course it went against his better judgement but this time he needed to. For Alicia.
He saw her underneath the staircase, the same spot where he had impulsively grabbed and kissed her in the early stages of their relationship. He smiled reassuringly at her, but she seemed upset.
"I heard everything," she confessed with a solemn frown. "That was too close."
"He believed me when I said there was nothing going on," he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We've nothing to worry about. He's not going to find out."
"He suspects something."
"Trust me."
"Michael…"
"Come on, I heard Boylan's new bar is opening tonight, just in time for Terra Nova's new residents. I'll take you for a drink."
She shook him off, avoiding his gaze. "I can't."
"Okay, some other night then."
"No, I mean I can't do this."
His smile faded. "Do what?"
"Us. It's too much." She tried to avoid his heartbroken gaze. "Look, we knew this would never work. I'm your superior officer. What would people think?"
"I don't care what people think."
"Well, I do. I'm older than you, I should know better. They're going to think I took advantage of you, that I'm using you because you're the Commander's son."
"That's ridiculous," he spat.
"Your father's right. I haven't been focused. Earlier in the woods when that Nykoraptor attacked, I got scared. I let my guard down. I nearly got us killed."
"I was scared too."
She gazed at him sadly. "If it had been anyone else, I would have handled it, no problem. But when that thing hurt you, and I saw you bleeding, I wasn't thinking about the Nykoraptor. I was scared for you, and I just kept thinking I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. And I let that thing get close to me. It was unprofessional. Don't you understand? I can't have feelings like that for one of my team. I can't afford to get distracted like that. I need my head in the game."
He shook his head, his jade green eyes starting to blur. "Alicia, please don't do this. I love you."
She shut her eyes tightly. "No you don't. You think you do, but you don't."
Michael didn't say anything. He swallowed again, fighting back the tears, not wanting her to see him cry.
"You're still so young and you have so much ahead of you. You don't want me messing that up."
"I wish people would stop saying I'm so young. I'm not stupid - I know what I want."
She smiled sadly at him, brushing his cheek with her fingers. He closed his eyes for a moment, savouring the feeling, breathing shakily against her touch. "I'm sorry, Michael."
He didn't open his eyes again until she had walked away, and then he let a single tear fall, thinking of the first time he laid eyes on her, the first time he fell in love. He bowed his head, scrubbing at his moist eyes, wishing for this awful day to be over. And then he saw his father peering out from the command centre, watching him. He wondered how much he had seen, and then he decided he didn't care as he scowled and turned away, wishing for it to be several months ago when he still had a supportive brother and a beautiful girlfriend by his side.
Perhaps this new world wasn't going to give him the happiness he had been promised after all.
Rating: T just in case for later
Warnings: None for this chapter
Characters: Lucas Taylor, Michael Taylor (OC), Nathaniel Taylor, Skye Tate, Alicia Washington, possibly the Shannon family
Summary: This is an AU story about Lucas having a twin brother. Instead of rebelling like Lucas, Michael - his brother - remains loyal to their father. This fic explores their relationship and what would have happened in the series had Michael existed. There will be some Lucas/Skye in future chapters…
or read at ff.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7812172/7/Thick_as_Thieves
"Michael?"
He blinked, realising Wash was standing over him, her beautiful face upside-down and full of concern. She gently helped him sit up and he realised he had bandages around his torso, covering the gash across his chest. The stabbing sensation still remained, as if the blade was still lodged in his flesh, and he grimaced at the pain as she knelt down in front of him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," he breathed, rubbing his sore head. "How about you?" He touched her face, noticing the cut on her cheek, but she flinched and batted him away.
"I'm fine," she insisted. "We must have been out for a little while."
"We were?" He looked around him, confused, and then looked back down to the dressing on his wound. "Did you do this?"
"No. I only just woke up."
"My weapon's missing."
She wrinkled her nose, looking around for hers too. "Somebody bandaged you up, took our weapons, and then just left us?"
Michael looked back towards the symbols by the river, frowning. He had an idea who might have done this, but he wasn't sure how he felt about it. If it had been Lucas who bandaged him up, maybe he did still have an ounce of compassion left in that clouded head of his, but he wasn't sure if he trusted his brother with weapons. At least if he ever came across any danger like they had today, he would be protected. Witnessing what that Nykoraptor was capable of gave him chills. He feared the day they'd be on patrol and find a mangled body in the bushes belonging to his brother. He feared that more than the fear of not knowing, of lying in bed night after night, wondering where Lucas was sleeping and if he was alright.
"Come on," said Wash, helping him to his feet. "Let's get you back to the rover."
Commander Taylor wasn't thrilled to hear the news about their unfortunate discovery at Snakehead Falls, but he was relieved to see that Michael was still in one piece. He sat at his desk, frowning, his tired eyes meeting Michael's as he listened intently to what had happened.
"The whole area must be made off limits from now on," he said sternly, sitting up in his chair after Michael had finished. "No one steps foot in that place, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Michael nodded. "Understood."
His father got to his feet, eyeing Wash in the background. "Neither of you can ever tell anyone about this."
"Of course," she responded. "We won't."
"Good."
Michael cleared his throat, meeting his father's gaze again, but this time not as a soldier, but as a concerned son who was worried about the safety of his brother. "Dad…I want you to consider bringing Lucas back to Terra Nova."
Taylor's jaw stiffened, his eyes narrowing at him. Michael could see his hesitance, the way his frown deepened and how his body tensed. The undetermined silence was excruciating. Then he watched as his father sighed and turned to Lieutenant Washington. "Could you give us a moment, Wash?"
She nodded and left them be, glancing back at Michael uneasily. She smiled weakly at him and then left the two alone together. He watched her go, part of him wishing she would come back and stand by his side, the other part relieved she wasn't going to be present for this.
Commander Taylor approached his son, his cold expression speaking for him. "I know you're concerned about him but he made his choice, Michael."
"He was confused," he insisted. "He needs help. It's dangerous out there, he could get hurt!"
"I can't help that now, son. He's a traitor. He doesn't belong here, and you need to stop making excuses for him."
"He pretty much saved my life today."
"Or so you think."
Michael sighed, giving in. His gaze sunk down to his boots, noticing there were still a few drops of dried blood on them. He closed his eyes, the image of Lucas alone in the jungle, freezing, starving played in his mind. "I just…didn't want to lose him too."
His father placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him; the only family he had left. "I know. But this is the way things are now."
He smiled sadly, acceptingly, and then the reassurance of his father's hand on his shoulder slipped away and he began to slowly wander back towards the door.
"Michael, hang on a second. I meant to ask you something."
He stopped and raised his head curiously. "What?"
Taylor looked up from his desk, pausing a moment as his eyes met with his son's, his face suddenly very suspicious. "Is something going on between you and Wash?"
Michael froze. He knew. How? He suddenly felt exposed, as if his father was able to read his mind and discover all the secrets he had never divulged. He cleared his throat nervously, acting confused and startled by the accusation. "What do you mean?"
He softened a little bit, leaning against the desk again as if trying to appear less threatening. "Well, you seem to be spending a lot of time together lately and she…doesn't seem as focused."
Michael shook his head innocently, shrugging. "I hadn't noticed," he replied, forcing an anxious smile, feeling his wounds start to burn underneath the bandages.
"I was just starting to get concerned…"
"Nothing's going on, dad."
He held his breath as he watched his father look away, felt the relief flood him when he saw him nod acceptingly. "Okay. Thank you for being honest with me." He smiled appreciatively at him. "I'll see you tonight."
"Yeah. See you."
As he left the command centre, he felt his body relax again, his heart rate slowing. Honest. He scorned at the word. He was far from it. He had rarely lied to his father, not even as a child, and when he did he always came clean eventually, as the incident with Lucas had already demonstrated. But this time he had to lie. Of course it went against his better judgement but this time he needed to. For Alicia.
He saw her underneath the staircase, the same spot where he had impulsively grabbed and kissed her in the early stages of their relationship. He smiled reassuringly at her, but she seemed upset.
"I heard everything," she confessed with a solemn frown. "That was too close."
"He believed me when I said there was nothing going on," he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We've nothing to worry about. He's not going to find out."
"He suspects something."
"Trust me."
"Michael…"
"Come on, I heard Boylan's new bar is opening tonight, just in time for Terra Nova's new residents. I'll take you for a drink."
She shook him off, avoiding his gaze. "I can't."
"Okay, some other night then."
"No, I mean I can't do this."
His smile faded. "Do what?"
"Us. It's too much." She tried to avoid his heartbroken gaze. "Look, we knew this would never work. I'm your superior officer. What would people think?"
"I don't care what people think."
"Well, I do. I'm older than you, I should know better. They're going to think I took advantage of you, that I'm using you because you're the Commander's son."
"That's ridiculous," he spat.
"Your father's right. I haven't been focused. Earlier in the woods when that Nykoraptor attacked, I got scared. I let my guard down. I nearly got us killed."
"I was scared too."
She gazed at him sadly. "If it had been anyone else, I would have handled it, no problem. But when that thing hurt you, and I saw you bleeding, I wasn't thinking about the Nykoraptor. I was scared for you, and I just kept thinking I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. And I let that thing get close to me. It was unprofessional. Don't you understand? I can't have feelings like that for one of my team. I can't afford to get distracted like that. I need my head in the game."
He shook his head, his jade green eyes starting to blur. "Alicia, please don't do this. I love you."
She shut her eyes tightly. "No you don't. You think you do, but you don't."
Michael didn't say anything. He swallowed again, fighting back the tears, not wanting her to see him cry.
"You're still so young and you have so much ahead of you. You don't want me messing that up."
"I wish people would stop saying I'm so young. I'm not stupid - I know what I want."
She smiled sadly at him, brushing his cheek with her fingers. He closed his eyes for a moment, savouring the feeling, breathing shakily against her touch. "I'm sorry, Michael."
He didn't open his eyes again until she had walked away, and then he let a single tear fall, thinking of the first time he laid eyes on her, the first time he fell in love. He bowed his head, scrubbing at his moist eyes, wishing for this awful day to be over. And then he saw his father peering out from the command centre, watching him. He wondered how much he had seen, and then he decided he didn't care as he scowled and turned away, wishing for it to be several months ago when he still had a supportive brother and a beautiful girlfriend by his side.
Perhaps this new world wasn't going to give him the happiness he had been promised after all.