SLIDERS
These Arms Of Mine
By Michaela McPhillips
Rating: PG.
Spoilers: There's spoilers for my other fanfic The Boundary Of Friendship & The Pilot episode.
Author's notes: This story takes place in between scenes of part 6 of my alternate 3rd season story The Boundary Of Friendship. Thank you Julie Tharp for beta-reading this for me. I always appreciate the help you give me.
Disclaimer: Sliders belongs to Tracy Torme; St. Clare Entertainment; Fox Network; Universal; & The Sci-Fi Channel. All the characters and elements belong to these people.
'These Arms Of Mine' belongs to Otis Redding; Irving Music, Inc; Regent Music Corp (BMI); & Atlantic Recording Corp. I'm not receiving any payment for writing this story. That was only just for fun.
I hope you like it.
*****
The Drifters began to play on the sound system, and Quinn Mallory closed his eyes, as he lay on the sofa, with one arm behind his head, with his hand clasped in his hair, and his other hand resting on his chest. His blanket was only pulled up to his waist, but he wasn`t cold. Yet he wore a t-shirt on this warm summer`s night.
The song 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' was what he was now hearing, just before it was 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' by the Shirelles. It was a shame that Rembrandt wasn't awake to hear this. Instead he was in one of the bedrooms sound in a drunken slumber, along with the Professor after their night out at a party.
Yes, his friend would have been in his element. The couple in the room next to them where playing all the classics loud enough for them to be heard, yet it wasn't really disturbing him. He was awake anyway, and his thoughts kept drifting back to the night's events. He kept replaying the night in his mind. His encounter with Daelin, then his conversation with Wade, then that kiss... he smiled as he remembered the kiss that he and Wade shared.
The sound of giggles penetrated his thoughts, as the couple became more intimate.
He opened his eyes again, and frowned, as he stared up at the darkness surrounding him. He knew that Wade was right for breaking of their passionate embrace, because it would have led to more, that they both weren't ready for. And most of all, it would have been for all the wrong reasons. Homesickness, Wade had put it down too, and he too knew she had hit the mark spot on. He was homesick. He loved the adventure, and the thrill of experiencing brand new worlds, while travelling to multiple dimensions. But he missed his life back home. He missed not wakening up in his own bed, in his own home. Instead of wakening up in a hotel room, and sometimes not even having a bed, and having to lie on the couch because the beds were full, and they couldn't afford another hotel room. And there was times when they didn't even have a roof over their heads.
He missed going to college, and sitting in class learning something new. Of course his Professor was here along with him on this ride, but his friends were not. He missed the complaints of his friend Wing, how he would always say he should have chosen another course, and the craziness of Conrad Bennish Jnr, who looked like a grungy pot smoking airhead, yet was really just as smart as Quinn, and who he could talk to about parallel dimensions and other scientific questions.
And, most of all he missed his mother. After the death of his father, he was all that she had left. He winced as the pain struck him, at how much she must be agonising over his sudden disappearance. But he promised himself once again that he would return to her. Vowing that she would see her son again.
Then there was Wade. She was there with him, in the other bedroom in fact. He missed how they weren't able to just hang out anymore. He smiled at the fun times they had together back home. Just two friends hanging out. But now things had changed. Some worlds they would be running for their lives, never mind going to a movie or burger bar. Also his feelings for her were changing as well. When they were home he saw her as his bud, his friend, the one person he could count on. But when they began sliding things began to change.
He remembered the pain of holding her dying body in his arms, and the fear of losing her. And then the relief of realising it wasn't his Wade he held, but her double. The joy when she was safe in his arms, and the feeling of never wanting to let her go. Yet seeing that other Wade die was eerie for him. The thought that she could die because of him, terrified him.
His feelings had been growing from friendship to something more for some time now. Yet when he acted on them, she rejected him. Telling him she didn't want to have a relationship while sliding. He wasn't sure if she had also meant that she didn't want to have a relationship with him, period...until tonight that is.
Again she had told him they shouldn't take things further, and he felt rejected and embarrassed by the situation. But later that night, only two hours ago in fact, they had kissed again. This time it wasn't due to feeling alone and vulnerable. This time they were acting on long suppressed feelings they both had for one another. Yet, again she had pushed him away, but this time he saw the longing in her eyes. She did want to be with him, but she wanted to be sure it was for the right reasons. He knew that now.
The song changed and now 'These Arms Of Mine' by Otis Redding began to play. He closed his eyes as he listened to the words sung by the classic performer.
'These arms of mine
They are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine
They are yearning
Yearning from wanting you'
Quinn was not the only one still awake. Wade Welles gently stroked the empty space beside her with her fingertips as she also thought of this night...and what could have been. The song carried through to her bedroom, and she let the words sink in as her thoughts drifted back to Quinn and the kiss they shared.
She knew that the kiss with him earlier was brought on by the feelings of loneliness of sliding. But the second kiss was different. That was a kiss out of feelings they had for each other, and stemmed from a desire to be with one another, and a love they both shared.
She closed her eyes as the lyrics washed over her.
'And if you
Would let them hold you
Oh, I'll breath
For I will be'
Why did she push him away, she cursed herself for doing so. Yet deep down she knew that it was the right decision. She didn't believe that a relationship could truly work while sliding from one parallel dimension to the next...but lately she had been having doubts. She wanted a relationship with Quinn, that she couldn't deny...but she loved him too much to risk losing their friendship or any relationship they might have once they return home.
She lay on her back, and sighed heavily. Right now she had to be content with the way things were, no matter how much she wanted more.
'These arms of mine
They are burning
Burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting
Wanting to hold you'
Quinn opened his eyes and stared once more into the darkness. It was hard. Things had been much simpler before. He had managed to contain his feelings and push them deeply down inside of him, so that he wouldn't, couldn't even, get hurt. But now they had arisen and he didn't know how he felt anymore. He couldn't deny it any longer...Wade was no longer just his bud on this trip. She had grown to be someone more to him. It was no longer just a strong attraction he had for her neither. The feelings he had now, had long surpassed attraction, and had developed into something else.
What scared him most was he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle them now that they had been exposed to him. The intensity of them frightened him. He had never felt like this before. And losing control of his emotions, was something that Quinn didn't want to deal with. How would he react towards Wade now, considering that she didn't want to have a relationship with him while sliding.
This was too much for him. He was unsure if he would be able to handle it at all come tomorrow. How would he be able to get his mind around all these emotions he was feeling. He closed his eyes, as he drifted off to sleep with the song still playing in his ears.
'And if you
Would let them hold you
Oh, I'll breath
For I will be'
Wade turned onto her side, pulling the blanket tighter around herself, as she listened to the remainder of the song, before closing her eyes, with her thoughts still on Quinn.
'C'mon, c'mon baby'
A small smile played on Quinn's lips, as the kiss was still very much on his mind.
'Just be my little woman'
Wade smiled to herself as she finally drifted off to sleep.
'Just be my lover'
The two young sliders had fallen asleep, just as the song finished.
'Oh, I need me somebody
Somebody to treat me right
Oh, I need your arms
Loving arms to hold me tight
And, I...I...I need
I need your tender lips...'
The End