Fic - " The Gobbler of Souls" Part 5
Here is part five of "The Gobbler of Souls". Yup, this is a creepy fic based on my odd attachment to the Grooviest Hotel in Wisconsin. See http://www.lileks.com/institute/motel/gob1.html for examples of the decor. This is a Lee fic... about why Lee is cool. Yup - bsg/drwho fic set before the end of season 2 in drwho and after ep 3.14 of bsg.
He sipped his drink as he puzzled over the chart he had made. He was missing something, that he was certain of. It was all connected somehow. Lee could sense it. He could feel it. The hotel, Zak… Something was there. Something was going to happen, he knew it.
He just couldn’t figure it out.
Suddenly a fist slammed down on the chart . “ Lee,” Kara Thrace said softly, “ We need to talk.” She pulled up a chair.
“ I’m busy with something,” he said, letting his irritation show in his voice. “ And I’m married to Dee.”
After a moment, he realized that she hadn’t left. He looked up from the chart to see her looking at him. Looking at him with… concern. And worry.
“ I know you’re married to Dee,” Kara said. She tapped the papers he had sorted on the table. He almost grabbed the paperwork when he realized that she was staring at him like he was crazy.
“ What do you want, Kara?” he asked tiredly.
“ Your wife sent me. She’s worried about you.” Kara began to look at the photos on the bar table. “ She’s worried enough that she asked me to talk to you. What the hell is wrong with you, Lee?
Lee blinked. For an instant, he thought she had been dressed like a lifeguard. Like in his dream. “ What do you mean?”
Kara rolled her eyes. “ You’re acting like you’ve lost your mind, Lee. Dee thinks you’re having a nervous breakdown. So does your dad, and he’s a more than a little pissed that he had to relieve Gaeta from duty because you decided to pick at little Felix’s mommy complex. Calling his mother a whore? Even I know not to go there.”
“ I didn’t call his mother a whore!” Everyone in the makeshift bar turned to look. Lee blushed. “ I didn’t mean for him to get so upset,” he said more quietly, “ but I didn’t say that to him.”
“ Lee, I don’t care if you accused Gaeta of frakking his own mother. That’s not why I am here.” Kara leaned over the table. “ Your wife is so worried about you, she came to me. Dee actually asked me to see if I could figure out what was wrong with you. Think about that for a minute.”
He did. Deep down, he knew Dee despised Kara, saw Kara as an obstacle to their relationship. If Dee had gone to Kara for help… she was likely worried. Extremely worried. “ I have to figure this out.”
“ Zak is dead, Lee. Dead. I’m sorry he’s dead,” and when he looked at her face, he could see tears in the eyes of the indomitable Kara Thrace, “ but he’s gone, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
“It’s not about Zak, not like that.” It wasn’t. Zak was dead, and as much as he missed his brother, Lee knew he wasn’t sitting in a ramshackle bar in the muesuem pod of the Galactica because he missed Zak. He did miss Zak, but there was no bringing back the dead. It did hurt to know that Zak hadn’t been his full brother, but that was a secret he intended to take to the grave. His father had never guessed. If Bill Adama has suspected one of his children of not truly being his, Lee knew it had been him, and not Zak. Zak looked like Bill Adama, and wasn’t that a laugh? “Kara, something happened… it happened when we were little and it’s important.”
“Because everyone will die, if you don’t remember,” Kara said. “ You’re the nail. For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.”
“ What???” Lee looked at Kara, shocked.
“ I said let it go, Lee.” After a moment, she laughed harshly. “ I can’t believe I’m doing this. Lee, you need help.”
“I’m fine.” He was tired, but fine.
“ You’re not fine. You’re obsessed. Obsessed with a time and a place that you’ll never see again.” Kara smirked at him.
“Go to hell.” He rose to his feet and began to angrily gather his papers. Except… except that the room seemed to swirl around him and suddenly the floor was rushing up to his face.
~*~
Something was wrong. He could feel it. I should go back to the room, Lee reasoned as he walked through the ugly lobby that had the fake pretend fireplace that always upset him, I should check on Zak.
Zak was just a little boy, not big like he was. I should make sure he’s still in the room, Lee thought suddenly. If he was in their bedroom he was safe, Lee knew it. He trotted through the lobby and into the bizarrely decorated hallway. It was getting late anyway.
But when he looked in the blue room, Zak was gone. His toy cars were on the floor, and his bag had been dumped on the floor. Oh no, Lee thought worriedly, Zak had wanted to go to the pool. Mom hadn’t caved for a change, she had wanted to go dancing and Zak hadn’t gotten his way. But… Zak was little and shouldn’t be at the pool by himself.
Lee went out into the hallway but ducked behind a giant fake plant when he saw adults coming. It was late and he would get in trouble being up and about. It had happened before. He recognized the people. The blonde girl… and the brown haired man who danced with the pretty lady… they were in the hallway arguing. He watched.
“ Rose, stop arguing. Go back to the bar and get Felix and get him into the tardis.”
“ But…”
“Don’t argue. I made a mistake… I should have known… the Master would never have one contingency plan. Even in death that bastard has plan upon plan. Listen to me Rose, do you like Felix?”
“ Yes…”
“ Then get him out of here. The next owner of this tardis has been chosen, and it will kill any rivals.”
“ Is that what you thought would happen?” Rose seemed irritated.
“Never mind what I thought. If he isn’t out of here, he’s dead. Rose…”
“What are you going to do?”
“ The one that it wants… it’s a child.”
“ Be careful.”
They were in love, Lee realized, and something dangerous was happening.
Feel free to comment on my insanity
He sipped his drink as he puzzled over the chart he had made. He was missing something, that he was certain of. It was all connected somehow. Lee could sense it. He could feel it. The hotel, Zak… Something was there. Something was going to happen, he knew it.
He just couldn’t figure it out.
Suddenly a fist slammed down on the chart . “ Lee,” Kara Thrace said softly, “ We need to talk.” She pulled up a chair.
“ I’m busy with something,” he said, letting his irritation show in his voice. “ And I’m married to Dee.”
After a moment, he realized that she hadn’t left. He looked up from the chart to see her looking at him. Looking at him with… concern. And worry.
“ I know you’re married to Dee,” Kara said. She tapped the papers he had sorted on the table. He almost grabbed the paperwork when he realized that she was staring at him like he was crazy.
“ What do you want, Kara?” he asked tiredly.
“ Your wife sent me. She’s worried about you.” Kara began to look at the photos on the bar table. “ She’s worried enough that she asked me to talk to you. What the hell is wrong with you, Lee?
Lee blinked. For an instant, he thought she had been dressed like a lifeguard. Like in his dream. “ What do you mean?”
Kara rolled her eyes. “ You’re acting like you’ve lost your mind, Lee. Dee thinks you’re having a nervous breakdown. So does your dad, and he’s a more than a little pissed that he had to relieve Gaeta from duty because you decided to pick at little Felix’s mommy complex. Calling his mother a whore? Even I know not to go there.”
“ I didn’t call his mother a whore!” Everyone in the makeshift bar turned to look. Lee blushed. “ I didn’t mean for him to get so upset,” he said more quietly, “ but I didn’t say that to him.”
“ Lee, I don’t care if you accused Gaeta of frakking his own mother. That’s not why I am here.” Kara leaned over the table. “ Your wife is so worried about you, she came to me. Dee actually asked me to see if I could figure out what was wrong with you. Think about that for a minute.”
He did. Deep down, he knew Dee despised Kara, saw Kara as an obstacle to their relationship. If Dee had gone to Kara for help… she was likely worried. Extremely worried. “ I have to figure this out.”
“ Zak is dead, Lee. Dead. I’m sorry he’s dead,” and when he looked at her face, he could see tears in the eyes of the indomitable Kara Thrace, “ but he’s gone, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
“It’s not about Zak, not like that.” It wasn’t. Zak was dead, and as much as he missed his brother, Lee knew he wasn’t sitting in a ramshackle bar in the muesuem pod of the Galactica because he missed Zak. He did miss Zak, but there was no bringing back the dead. It did hurt to know that Zak hadn’t been his full brother, but that was a secret he intended to take to the grave. His father had never guessed. If Bill Adama has suspected one of his children of not truly being his, Lee knew it had been him, and not Zak. Zak looked like Bill Adama, and wasn’t that a laugh? “Kara, something happened… it happened when we were little and it’s important.”
“Because everyone will die, if you don’t remember,” Kara said. “ You’re the nail. For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.”
“ What???” Lee looked at Kara, shocked.
“ I said let it go, Lee.” After a moment, she laughed harshly. “ I can’t believe I’m doing this. Lee, you need help.”
“I’m fine.” He was tired, but fine.
“ You’re not fine. You’re obsessed. Obsessed with a time and a place that you’ll never see again.” Kara smirked at him.
“Go to hell.” He rose to his feet and began to angrily gather his papers. Except… except that the room seemed to swirl around him and suddenly the floor was rushing up to his face.
~*~
Something was wrong. He could feel it. I should go back to the room, Lee reasoned as he walked through the ugly lobby that had the fake pretend fireplace that always upset him, I should check on Zak.
Zak was just a little boy, not big like he was. I should make sure he’s still in the room, Lee thought suddenly. If he was in their bedroom he was safe, Lee knew it. He trotted through the lobby and into the bizarrely decorated hallway. It was getting late anyway.
But when he looked in the blue room, Zak was gone. His toy cars were on the floor, and his bag had been dumped on the floor. Oh no, Lee thought worriedly, Zak had wanted to go to the pool. Mom hadn’t caved for a change, she had wanted to go dancing and Zak hadn’t gotten his way. But… Zak was little and shouldn’t be at the pool by himself.
Lee went out into the hallway but ducked behind a giant fake plant when he saw adults coming. It was late and he would get in trouble being up and about. It had happened before. He recognized the people. The blonde girl… and the brown haired man who danced with the pretty lady… they were in the hallway arguing. He watched.
“ Rose, stop arguing. Go back to the bar and get Felix and get him into the tardis.”
“ But…”
“Don’t argue. I made a mistake… I should have known… the Master would never have one contingency plan. Even in death that bastard has plan upon plan. Listen to me Rose, do you like Felix?”
“ Yes…”
“ Then get him out of here. The next owner of this tardis has been chosen, and it will kill any rivals.”
“ Is that what you thought would happen?” Rose seemed irritated.
“Never mind what I thought. If he isn’t out of here, he’s dead. Rose…”
“What are you going to do?”
“ The one that it wants… it’s a child.”
“ Be careful.”
They were in love, Lee realized, and something dangerous was happening.
Feel free to comment on my insanity