Aug 17, 2007 23:00
Small Legacy
By Lomeinie
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Up to Season 4's POINT OF NO RETURN
Disclaimers: I don't own Earth Final Conflict or its character and since I have made zilch on this I expect not to be sued!
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Solemnly, the three figures moved through the abandoned Flat Planet Café, heading towards a set of stairs that would take them to their destination. It had been two weeks since they'd left the erupted volcano in Siberia, leaving on a wing and a prayer that Liam would return to them, somehow.
That same day they left in the shuttle, they heard that was the worst volcano eruption to even be recorded in modern history. Street had cried upon hearing the news while Renee and Augur held back their own grief for later when they were alone.
When he did not return to them a week after the eruption, Augur knew it was time to clean out Liam apartment above the Flat Planet but at Renee's request, he'd held off doing so for another week. Now with Renee and Street accompanying him, Augur unlocked the door to the small apartment, drew a shuddering breath and stepped inside.
The room was in a semi-mess as it had two-week-old evidence that someone had lived in it recently. On the counter in Liam's small kitchenette, they found the remainder of what he'd eaten for breakfast on the day of his death. Eggs and very badly, less than half eaten burnt toast laid on the counter. Near it set a very cold mug of coffee, which Augur picked up to sniff after frowning at the leftover food.
Surprisingly, the coffee hadn't lost its aroma as Augur identified it as a hazelnut blend, but as to how it tasted after sitting out on the counter for two weeks, he was not about to test. He put the mug down, turning to deal with the rest of the apartment. He only saw Renee, standing still as she stared at something.
He thought about asking where Street had disappeared to but then saw that she was staring down at something. Without a word, he walked about the counter to join her in the corner of the apartment to see what she'd found. The sight that greeted him was something Augur wasn't prepared for. On a small, multi-leveled shelf stood at least 5 orchid plants, all withering and dying from lack of water.
Renee looked at him. "Since when did Liam take up an interest in orchids?"
Augur knelt down in front of the plants, examining them carefully. "I don't know. I wasn't aware he'd taken an interest in anything outside of the Taelons or the Resistance," Augur paused to pick up a water bottle. "Would you fill up this with fresh water please?" Renee nodded, taking the bottle and heading towards the sink.
Augur continued to examine the plants carefully, wondering how they had survived without sunlight as well as the water. Renee returned with the water, and carefully he began to squirt the precious plants, carefully not to touch the plants too much. Renee knelt beside him, looking at the plants.
"What I don't understand is how they've been able to survive in here. There's no sunlight in this room," Renee said.
Augur nodded to a nearby lamp. "That's a sun lamp. I'm guessing the bulb is blown now but Liam probably used to turn it on when he left for work to give them everything they needed to survive."
"You're probably, right. Listen I am going to go find Street and get busy. It's time we started to pack everything up," she said, touching his shoulder before she stood up. Augur nodded, absorbed in trying to save the dying flowers.
Renee and Street found very little in Liam's apartment to pack. Besides clothing they found a set of Celtic runes, a book on the runes and one on the orchids, a few pictures of friends, and a bottle of Irish whisky. There was also a bag of dirt from the homeland of Liam's mother, Siobhan Becket, as well as a set of CDs by the finest Irish artists of the 20th-21st centuries.
As Street took down a box of Liam's belongings to the car, Renee returned to where Augur was still taking care of the needs of the orchids. She laid a hand on his shoulder as she knelt beside him again. "Any chance they'll survive?"
Augur shrugged. "I don't know but I'll not giving up on them yet. Renee, I want to take them to my place to see if I can't get them to growing again."
"All right, we can do that," Renee agreed.
"Thanks, Renee. These," he gestured to the orchids, "mean a lot to me."
"May I ask why?"
Augur sighed. "Because they belonged to Liam and before him they belong to the one woman I loved, Lili Marquette, and before that they belong to William Boone who was preceded in their care by his own beloved wife, Kate."
"Are you sure?" Renee asked.
Augur nodded. "Yes, I am. I am going to nurse these babies back to health and then keep them as a reminder to all the people I have loved and lost. These plants are a small part of their legacy and I am not going to let that die."
FIN
Author's Note: I am in no way knowledgable about orchids so if any of this rings untrue to real life, just accept this story as what it was meant to be: a tribute to all thr great characters we've lost in the EFC universe!
augur,
renee palmer,
lili marquette,
earth final conflict,
rated pg