March 6 2007
"Elysium'
Characters: Kara, "Leoben" (?), Zak
rating: PG
setting: Maelstrom
genre: ???
disclaimer: RDM own.
summary: dying isn't such a bad thing
A/N: unbeta'd. one of those rare ones that come to you in one setting. i thought to myself, "how can Maelstrom possibly have a happy ending?" well, here's what i came up with. any mistakes, suckiness is purely me. and the title just showed up, so if it's goofy, meh. the story is what should matter.
Kara's hand reaches down for the ejection handle. One small yank and she'll be propelled out of the ship and,presumably, out of danger. Part of her screams to pull it. Pull the frakkin handle!!. It's right at her fingertips, yet she stops. Stops when she realizes she's no longer afraid. There's no reason to be.
"I'm not afraid anymore." She says softly as she stares out the cockpit at the growing light. In her headset, though sounding like it's from a great distance, she can hear Lee screaming at her to pull up, come back. She thinks she answers him, but she's not sure. The light grows brighter until there is nothing else. Beneath her she's aware of a tearing rumble as her ship comes apart and disintigrates, but she feels nothing. She's surrounded by the light now. No, that's not right. She's in the light. Walking, walking in the light.
She turns around and sees the firey blossom that occupies the place where her ship had been. On the other side of the explosion a small, shiny blip is turning away from it. Kara brings her fingers to her mouth, kissing the tips of the first two and waving slowly. "Goodbye, Lee." She's aware that she can see Galactica and the fleet too. " Goodbye."
"Kara, this way." A voice behind her says gently.
She turns around and sees a back lighted silhouette, an outstreched hand being offered. She takes it and follows as she's led deeper into the light. The voice is Leoben's, but it's not. It's the voice of the "Leoben" that had walked her through everything that happened, sat with her as she said goodbye to her mother. Had smiled when he told her that he never said he was Leoben.
Kara stops, pulling gently on his hand. He stops and turns, offering her a gentle smile that's difficult to see because he's still mostly a mix of light and shadow.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Kara." He softly tugs her forward, but stops as she continues to resist.
"I know, but I have to ask." She replies a little nervously.
" Ask what?" He turns towards her and smiles. He's becoming a little easier to see, and he still looks like Leoben. He sees her hesitating and squeezes her hand encouragingly. "It's ok. Ask."
"Who are you? I know you're not Leoben, so, I mean, why do you look like him?"
This gets a small chuckle from the man in front of her and still the smile remains on his face." I was sent to prepare you for this, and this is the form I was given."
" But, why?" Kara asks, and she feels no need to hide her confusion, or the little bit of fear she feels, despite instinctively knowing she needn't be afraid.
" Well, as weird as it may sound, sometimes people respond better to something they fear or hate. So I was put in this shape because it would get the strongest reaction. I was worried that you'd try to kill me and end up hurting yourself, but I was told there was nothing to worry about."
"Ok. " She's still unsure of this whole thing, but strangely at ease even while being a little frightened.
"But that wasn't the real question. Ask again."
"Who are you?" Kara asks quietly.
He reaches out with his free hand and takes hers, so both hands are joined, fingers entwined. It feels familiar, strange, but familiar. "This place is unlike any you've ever been. You've left behind the mortal coil and if you really want the answer it will be revealed."
The light behind him begins to grow brighter, so bright it hurts her eyes. She squints and tries to see but it's no use. The more she tries, the brighter it gets until it feels like it will burn her to blindness. "The light, please make it stop. I can't see because of the light." She squeezes his hands, the hands that feel like she should know them somehow. " Please, make the light stop."
"Don't look with your eyes, Kara. Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them" The man who looks like Leoben but isn't leans in and softly speaks to her, squeezing her hands. "Look with your heart."
"My heart? What do you mean?" Kara asks, then pauses. The light is fading, slowly, but it is definately fading. She looks slowly up at him and notices his hair is no longer Leoben's color. It's darker, thicker. She squints her eyes to make sure. Yes, it's not the same hair as a few minutes ago. The light contiues fading, slowly. She continues to look.
The receding brightness travels down now to his eyes, no longer Leoben's eyes. Different shape, different color. Eyes that know her, eyes that she knows. Her mouth opens, but she closes it immediatley, not sure of what to day. Down further the nose is now a different nose. Slightly broader, yet also smaller at the same time. Again she tries to speak but can't. She notices the lips. Lips she knows all too well, remembers in her dreams and private moments when she's alone. The light is no longer blinding and he stands before her, smiling.
" Zak?" She asks in disbelief. She takes her hand out of his, which are his hands now, and touches his cheek. It feels like him, exactly as she remembers. "Zak?" She asks again, tears forming in her eyes as she stares into the face of the man she had lost years earlier.
As if to answer her without saying anything he brings his hand up and runs the tips of his fingers along her lips, caressing them as only Zak could. His hand rests on her cheek, thumb moving up and down. His other hand lets go of hers and comes up and smooths her hair back, tucking it behind her ear like he had always done.
" Zak!" Kara cries as she begins to weep. Not with sadness, or guilt, but joy. He only smiles at her, nodding slowly. She moves in closer, taking his other cheek in her free hand and staring ino his eyes. Saying his name again and again, her lips come closer to his until finally they gently press together, testing at first. Then slowly taking, until they're joined.
His hand moves from behind her ear and cups her other cheek, returning the kiss as she weeps. The kiss lasts for what seems an eternity until she pulls away. Wrapping her arms around his neck she buries her face into his chest and cries, joyfully. " It is you." Not questioning, but stating what she knows is the truth.
She feels his head tilt until his breath is in her ear, moving her hair in a soft breeze.
"Welcome home, Kara." Zak whispers. "I've been waiting for you."
~~~~~finis~~~
Characters: Kara, "Leoben" (?), Zak
rating: PG
setting: Maelstrom
genre: ???
disclaimer: RDM own.
summary: dying isn't such a bad thing
A/N: unbeta'd. one of those rare ones that come to you in one setting. i thought to myself, "how can Maelstrom possibly have a happy ending?" well, here's what i came up with. any mistakes, suckiness is purely me. and the title just showed up, so if it's goofy, meh. the story is what should matter.
Kara's hand reaches down for the ejection handle. One small yank and she'll be propelled out of the ship and,presumably, out of danger. Part of her screams to pull it. Pull the frakkin handle!!. It's right at her fingertips, yet she stops. Stops when she realizes she's no longer afraid. There's no reason to be.
"I'm not afraid anymore." She says softly as she stares out the cockpit at the growing light. In her headset, though sounding like it's from a great distance, she can hear Lee screaming at her to pull up, come back. She thinks she answers him, but she's not sure. The light grows brighter until there is nothing else. Beneath her she's aware of a tearing rumble as her ship comes apart and disintigrates, but she feels nothing. She's surrounded by the light now. No, that's not right. She's in the light. Walking, walking in the light.
She turns around and sees the firey blossom that occupies the place where her ship had been. On the other side of the explosion a small, shiny blip is turning away from it. Kara brings her fingers to her mouth, kissing the tips of the first two and waving slowly. "Goodbye, Lee." She's aware that she can see Galactica and the fleet too. " Goodbye."
"Kara, this way." A voice behind her says gently.
She turns around and sees a back lighted silhouette, an outstreched hand being offered. She takes it and follows as she's led deeper into the light. The voice is Leoben's, but it's not. It's the voice of the "Leoben" that had walked her through everything that happened, sat with her as she said goodbye to her mother. Had smiled when he told her that he never said he was Leoben.
Kara stops, pulling gently on his hand. He stops and turns, offering her a gentle smile that's difficult to see because he's still mostly a mix of light and shadow.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Kara." He softly tugs her forward, but stops as she continues to resist.
"I know, but I have to ask." She replies a little nervously.
" Ask what?" He turns towards her and smiles. He's becoming a little easier to see, and he still looks like Leoben. He sees her hesitating and squeezes her hand encouragingly. "It's ok. Ask."
"Who are you? I know you're not Leoben, so, I mean, why do you look like him?"
This gets a small chuckle from the man in front of her and still the smile remains on his face." I was sent to prepare you for this, and this is the form I was given."
" But, why?" Kara asks, and she feels no need to hide her confusion, or the little bit of fear she feels, despite instinctively knowing she needn't be afraid.
" Well, as weird as it may sound, sometimes people respond better to something they fear or hate. So I was put in this shape because it would get the strongest reaction. I was worried that you'd try to kill me and end up hurting yourself, but I was told there was nothing to worry about."
"Ok. " She's still unsure of this whole thing, but strangely at ease even while being a little frightened.
"But that wasn't the real question. Ask again."
"Who are you?" Kara asks quietly.
He reaches out with his free hand and takes hers, so both hands are joined, fingers entwined. It feels familiar, strange, but familiar. "This place is unlike any you've ever been. You've left behind the mortal coil and if you really want the answer it will be revealed."
The light behind him begins to grow brighter, so bright it hurts her eyes. She squints and tries to see but it's no use. The more she tries, the brighter it gets until it feels like it will burn her to blindness. "The light, please make it stop. I can't see because of the light." She squeezes his hands, the hands that feel like she should know them somehow. " Please, make the light stop."
"Don't look with your eyes, Kara. Your eyes can decieve you. Don't trust them" The man who looks like Leoben but isn't leans in and softly speaks to her, squeezing her hands. "Look with your heart."
"My heart? What do you mean?" Kara asks, then pauses. The light is fading, slowly, but it is definately fading. She looks slowly up at him and notices his hair is no longer Leoben's color. It's darker, thicker. She squints her eyes to make sure. Yes, it's not the same hair as a few minutes ago. The light contiues fading, slowly. She continues to look.
The receding brightness travels down now to his eyes, no longer Leoben's eyes. Different shape, different color. Eyes that know her, eyes that she knows. Her mouth opens, but she closes it immediatley, not sure of what to day. Down further the nose is now a different nose. Slightly broader, yet also smaller at the same time. Again she tries to speak but can't. She notices the lips. Lips she knows all too well, remembers in her dreams and private moments when she's alone. The light is no longer blinding and he stands before her, smiling.
" Zak?" She asks in disbelief. She takes her hand out of his, which are his hands now, and touches his cheek. It feels like him, exactly as she remembers. "Zak?" She asks again, tears forming in her eyes as she stares into the face of the man she had lost years earlier.
As if to answer her without saying anything he brings his hand up and runs the tips of his fingers along her lips, caressing them as only Zak could. His hand rests on her cheek, thumb moving up and down. His other hand lets go of hers and comes up and smooths her hair back, tucking it behind her ear like he had always done.
" Zak!" Kara cries as she begins to weep. Not with sadness, or guilt, but joy. He only smiles at her, nodding slowly. She moves in closer, taking his other cheek in her free hand and staring ino his eyes. Saying his name again and again, her lips come closer to his until finally they gently press together, testing at first. Then slowly taking, until they're joined.
His hand moves from behind her ear and cups her other cheek, returning the kiss as she weeps. The kiss lasts for what seems an eternity until she pulls away. Wrapping her arms around his neck she buries her face into his chest and cries, joyfully. " It is you." Not questioning, but stating what she knows is the truth.
She feels his head tilt until his breath is in her ear, moving her hair in a soft breeze.
"Welcome home, Kara." Zak whispers. "I've been waiting for you."
~~~~~finis~~~