by Lindsay, *O’Sullivan and Zanh
90314.18
Following One More Day to Stay
"He has not learned the lesson of life
who does not every day surmount a fear."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
-=/\=-
-=County Cork, Ireland, Earth=-
90314.18
Following One More Day to Stay
"He has not learned the lesson of life
who does not every day surmount a fear."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
-=/\=-
-=County Cork, Ireland, Earth=-
"A drive?" Liis' ears perked up, and a spark of light appeared in her darkened eyes for the first time since Will had arrived.
"Absolutely." Will reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a key ring, from which dangled a shiny set of silver tone keys. He held them up on display for a moment, and then suddenly tossed them toward her.
Keiran snatched them out of the air before she could catch them.
"Hey now." Liis twirled around, folded her arms, and stood on her toes in order to look him in the eye. Keiran rumbled with laughter.
"Don' know...what do'ya think, William?" Keiran tossed the keys back to Will over Liis' head, grinning.
"I think her vision is questionable and she just got her arm out of a sling."
"I’ll put your ass in a sling if you don't give me the freakin' keys," Liis spun and reached out toward Will, who held the item she desired back and away from her.
"Such a way to speak to the man who's just tryin' ta make sure you don' crack up yer weddin' present."
"My what?" Liis stopped where she stood, frozen.
"Your weddin' gift." Will replied, a grin on his face matching Keiran's. "The car's all yours, Zanh Liis. Or should I say, Liis O'Sullivan. That is the name it’s titled in."
"Will," Liis stepped back, shaking her head as she considered the magnitude of the gesture, especially given that she was certain this was the convertible that they'd spent driving around Scotland, a day that felt as if it happened years ago. "I can't."
"You must. Besides, red never was my color, ya know. Somethin' in black, I think, suits me better. Compliments meh eyes." He ran a hand back through his hair, and then finally relinquished the keys to her. "It's parked just beyond the hill. I didn't want to ruin the surprise."
Liis gave him a smile of pure amazement. That smile was followed by a low laugh, and then she placed a quick peck on his rough, stubbled cheek before she took off; leaving the two men to follow...if they could catch her.
"Shotgun." Lindsay said immediately.
"Hey now," Keiran protested, "I'll be the one sittin' in the front passenger seat, right?"
"What automatically gives you the right? I already called shotgun."
"This weddin' ring gives me the right."
"You've got a point."
Keiran gave Will a solid slap on the back as they descended the porchsteps.
"Thanks, William. 'Tis...a grand thing you just did for her. For us. She'll look forward to comin' back to Ireland to drive that car every chance she gets."
"Seems to me she's not in any hurry to leave Ireland at all, Keiran." Will observed, wondering if, in light of her feelings and their earlier conversation, maybe they shouldn't reconsider the idea of retirement.
"Neither of us are, my friend. Neither of us are."
In spite of Keiran’s seemingly upbeat manner, Will heard a heavy truth in his words and after a pause of examination he nodded that he understood.
Ireland, in particular this small part they called home, was much more than just a bit of beautiful scenery to Keiran and Liis.
Being here was a reminder to both of them that things which could have happened, didn’t. It was, however, much more than that. Each of them could remember that the other was really here this time as long as they were together, and it was clear they’d both ensure they’d be together regardless of where they’d go.
County Cork was more because it was an escape; a place without starships, Romulans or men like Jonas Vox.
It was a beautifully simple piece of land which could be what they made of it. Where the demands of history and everyone in it could, if not disappear completely, at least seem to fade softly into the background of their minds until they were they almost impossible to notice.
Leaving that, going out in to the galaxy that seemed to have made such a task of conspiring against them so many times before had to frighten them both. Perhaps it was only on some deep and well-hidden level, but the fear was definitely there.
The thought sank in briefly and caused him concern, but Will did his best not to show it. He indicated the path ahead of them where the now out of sight Liis had just been and observed, “Well, it seems yer wife’s not in much of a mood for waitin’.”
“That she surely is not.” Keiran replied with a smile and soft laugh. “Not that she often is, mind?”
Keiran began to move in faster strides and Will did his best to keep up with him. He studied the burly Irishman’s features for a time finally, deciding it was time to say something. “She never has been, has she?” Will blurted out, and Keiran slowed slightly down.
He turned to Will and asked with curiosity “Never has been what?”
“The type fer waitin’ around.” Will explained. “When Zanh Liis has a problem, she’s not the sort who’d sit around worrying on it.”
Hearing the concern in Will’s voice, Keiran stopped moving. Will continued, his tone a reflection more of what he wasn’t saying than what he was. “I’d be right in thinkin’ she’s more the type to get out there and attack a problem. Wouldn’t I?”
“That you’d be…” Keiran questioningly agreed. Though perhaps at another time he’d have agreed with a laugh for the unfortunate soul who’d get in Liis’ way when she had her mind on something, this time he didn’t feel at all like laughing.
He knew that Will wouldn’t be asking without a good reason and was familiar enough with both Will and Liis to sense what that reason could be.
When Will didn’t offer any response Keiran pressed him. “Are ya sayin’ there’s something wrong with her, William? A problem she’s not fightin’?”
Will forced all the emotion he could manage out of his face, doing his damnedest not to give an answer.
At last, he responded with the only words he’d feel right about giving. “There are some things best left discussed between a man and his wife." He started walking quickly again, turning from Keiran who easily kept up with him. Will whispered almost as if the words were forbidden. “Just know that those things are there.”
Liis of course arrived at the shiny red convertible before them and wasted no time waiting around, throwing the driver’s side door open as carefully as possible. She hopped into the car and immediately noticed something sitting on the passenger seat.
She reached over, picking it up and holding it in her hands.
Somehow, with all that had happened she had completely forgotten it- and what was more, she couldn't believe that Will had managed to find it.
It must have fallen out of her pocket when she was thrown over the side of the TI building...
She analyzed the face of the 'clock' she'd helped herself to from the TI Clock Room, tilting it from side to side. She thought about the message she'd received from Jariel days ago, and the response she'd sent.
She would get her chance to give him that clock soon.
Then she thought about Salvek. She hoped that he would find his way on Vulcan, back to himself, and back to his family.
Keiran and Will were conversing softly as they approached, although Will seemed to be doing very little of the talking, and the sight made her nervous somehow.
She didn't think, given the weight of her discussion with Will earlier that it was unrealistic to expect that her name had come up in their conversation.
Her suspicions were confirmed when both men pasted nearly identically bland smiles upon their faces and ceased speaking altogether when they believed that they were within earshot.
They moved towards her in silence, their eyes seeming to probe her. Finally as he was almost to the car Will spoke.
“I see ya waited for us after all,” he observed in a teasing tone Liis wasn’t fooled by for a second, “By the look on yer face when ya ran off, I was expectin’ ya to be half way ta County Kerry by now.”
The painful look of concern in Keiran’s eyes, a look she was still very unaccustomed to seeing so strongly not just from him but for her, stunned her. She tried to bluff her way through it.
“It’s not my fault if you two decided to go for a slow walk and leisurely chat and I got away from you. What have you been talking about, anyway?”
The specifics of what seemed at first a very broad question were clear to Will. He replied slowly, his eyes telling Liis that he knew exactly what she meant. “It was just a general chat. Nothin’ in particular.”
Liis knew exactly what that meant; he’d not given Keiran any specifics. Though she had no intention of keeping the details of her visit with Tucker Brody from him, she was relieved to be able to tell Keiran on her own terms.
She knew hearing those details would worry him and so was putting it off for as long as she could. She’d decided that it could wait until she had it all sorted out in her mind, which seemed to be taking longer than first planned.
>Captain William Lindsay
Interim Director
Temporal Investigations
Commander *Keiran O’Sullivan
Security Liaison
The Alchemy Project
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O’Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Interim Director
Temporal Investigations
Commander *Keiran O’Sullivan
Security Liaison
The Alchemy Project
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O’Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012