Your name: e-ellens
Title of your fic: Dreaming Through Life
Rating of your fic: PG
Genre: Comedy
Characters/Pairings: Nikki, Kate, Bomber, Mike/Kate, Spider/Bomber. Slight Mike/Nikki, Spider/Nikki
Summary: After attending Wicked and a few too many drinks with the girls, Nikki's mind blurs the line between the Dream world and the Real world.
Word Count: 2,062
Disclaimer: Credit goes to Hal and Di for the creation of Sea Patrol, and Stephen Schwartz for the creation of the Broadway Musical: Wicked. Technically I can't even take full ownership of the plot.

Written for the [ [ Sea - Patrol . com ] ] Shine(y) 09 Fic Exchange, where prompts included:
Wicked the Musical
"love isn't blind, it just only sees what matters"
A secret note from an old lover

This was a battle and a half, but I was happy with the eventual turnout.

Written for kristen147

"Oh that was such an amazing show," Nikki gushed, her arms linked through Kate's and Bec's. The trio were on a musical-induced high as they walked away from Sydney's Capitol Theatre.

The night out was supposed to have been, in planning at least, Rebecca's hen's night. But the organised outing had gone down the drain when Hammersley was crash-sailed the day before; something big was going down off the coast of New South Wales and a number of Patrol boats had been called in to back up HMAS Anzac. It seemed to work out for the better, however, when the crew realised they had a few days of shore leave in Sydney once the task was completed.

Nikki had recently become obsessed with a new musical that was showing in Sydney, thus jumped at the opportunity and bought tickets for the three of them to see Wicked. Bec, who had neither seen nor heard about the musical, was fairly excited, whereas Kate, who had been subjected to the soundtrack for weeks on end, was looking forward to finally filling the plot holes which the music left out.

"I have to hand it to you, Nikki," Bec started, throwing a smile in the direction of her friend, "you sure know how to pick them. Normally I'm not one for the singing and dancing hubbub of musicals, but Wicked was amazing."

The trio made their way to a bar for a couple of drinks, toasting Bec on her impending marriage, amongst other things.

For Nikki, the night had been amazing; Good friends, good show, good drinks... although perhaps the trio were a little too heavy on the last one. Bec decided to call it a night when she could no longer speak coherently. Nikki and Kate weren't far behind her and, eventually, they made it back to the ship.

Tripping into their respective racks, they were almost instantly in dreamland... and that was when things began to get a little warped.

.....

Nikki jolted awake, emerging suddenly from a 'falling dream'. She flipped over in bed and thumped her pillow, trying to go back to sleep before she woke fully. Her eyes were just sliding closed, when she twitched and realised how uncomfortable she was. Sitting up in bed, Nikki found herself wearing a bright pink, overly frilly nightshirt; pyjamas she had definitely not worn to bed.

"What the hell?" she muttered softly, pulling herself out of bed. Eyes focussed on where she kept her clothes, Nikki was making her way towards it when the cabin door opened and in came –

"Kate!" she exclaimed, hurrying over towards her friend. "Thank god. Do you know what I'm wearing? Do you know where it came from?" she asked in a rush, glad that someone else was here who might explain what was going on.

Kate, however, just gave Nikki a withering look and walked straight past her, heading towards the desk. She sat down and pulled out a piece of paper, reading aloud what she was writing.

"My dear father."

All of a sudden things clicked into place. The outfit, Kate's apparent hatred... Nikki's head was reeling as she began to recognise where she was. Kate looked at her over her shoulder, staring at Nikki somewhat expectantly, as if waiting for something to happen.

"This is absolutely absurd," Nikki muttered to herself, before trying to remember what was said exactly. "Dearest darlingest Momsie and Popsicle... My dear Father." As soon as the first words were out of her mouth, the rest of the lyrics followed easily.

"There's been some confusion over rooming here at Shiz," she sang, hearing Kate's voice joining the melody.

"But of course I'll care for Nessa," Kate added on her own.

"But of course I'll rise above it," Nikki sang, confusion lacing her voice as she wondered when this would all end. Their voices came back together, Kate apparently taking her vocal cues from Nikki.

"For I know that's how you'd want me to respond. Yes, there's been some confusion as you see, my roommate is..."

Nikki's next line left her without even thinking. "Unusually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe."

The room was silent for a beat, before Kate's voice broke through.

"Blonde."

"I really have to get out of here," Nikki exclaimed, bolting towards the door. Just as the door closed behind her, she could hear the music continue, Kate's voice singing along as if she hadn't noticed Nikki's departure. Shaking her head, Nikki looked up and down the hall; she was on the HMAS Hammersley. Her legs were no longer cold, so she looked down at her clothing only to see that she was now wearing her t-shirt and uniform pants.

Feeling more confident with every step she took, Nikki made her way towards the bridge. Just as she turned a corner, however, she felt her foot slip and braced herself for hitting the ground. When the impact never arrived, she opened her eyes and realised there was a strong arm grasping her waist. Looking into the clear blue eyes of her saviour she almost fell over.

"Sir?" she squeaked, hurriedly straightening up and pulling herself out of Mike's arms. "Er, thank you, I guess," she added with a small smile.

Mike, however, just plastered on a big smile. "Woes are fleeting, blows are glancing. When you're dancing through life!" he sung, arms thrown wide as he held the last note.

Nikki just stood there, flabbergasted. What was going on with everyone? And why did her clothes keep changing? She was now wearing a white dress and coat. At least it's presentable this time, she thought with a shake of her head.

His smile turned into a cheeky grin. "So - what's the most swankified place in town?" he asked, throwing an arm across her shoulders and steering Nikki down the hall.

"What?" Her head was spinning, and she couldn't keep up with the constant costume changes.

"Sounds perfect!" He didn't seem to notice that she hadn't answered his question, merely continued singing to an audience Nikki couldn't see.

By the time Nikki managed to slip away from Mike, she was on the main deck, by the galley and mess rooms. Glancing into the galley, she saw Bomber slowly kneading some cookie dough while staring wistfully out the serving window. Nikki opened her mouth to call a greeting, but was stopped by a gangly sailor appearing in front of her with an adoring look in his eyes.

"Spider? What are you doing?" Nikki asked, warily, as Spider's hands shot out to grasp her own.

"Miss Galinda. I hope you'll save at least one dance for me. I'll be right there. Waiting. All night." Spider gently bounced their entwined hands up and down to punctuate the last words.

Nikki slowly extracted her hands, the awkwardness of the situation clearly expressed across her face. "Oh, how ... nice," she told him, deciding to escape back to her room. But something pulled her back. Without warning, a song fell from her lips.

"See that tragically beautiful girl? The one in a stare? It seems so unfair we should go on a spree, and not she. Gee, I know someone would be my hero, if that someone were to go invite her..." Nikki shook her head and tried to hide a smile as Spider's eyes followed her pointing finger, then lit up when he saw Bomber.

"Maybe I could invite her," he whispered in awe as he made his way towards the galley.

"You do that, Spide," Nikki muttered, rubbing her throbbing head. It was one thing to see and enjoy Wicked, it was another entirely to actually live it. Her head was spinning and, as she took another step, Nikki found herself wearing her navy uniform. Again.

Passing the CO's cabin on the way back to her own, Nikki pulled up short at the sound of music. Staying hidden behind the half-opened door, she heard Mike's voice singing a heartfelt melody.

"Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise, but you've got me seeing through different eyes. Somehow I've fallen under your spell and somehow I'm feeling it's up that I fell," he serenaded, arms spread wide.

What came next nearly made Nikki fall over in shock; a clear, female voice that Nikki had heard less than an hour ago joined the CO's melody.

"Every moment, as long as you're mine. I'll wake up my body and make up for lost time," Kate's voice hitched enough for Nikki to notice, before Mike continued in a soft whisper.

"Say there's no future for us as a pair," he told her, pulling her into Nikki's eye line. "You have enchanted me, made me see the world from a different perspective. I love you, Elphie."

"Oh Fiyero," Kate muttered, tears falling from her eyes, as she was pulled into a hug. "How can you love me when I look like I do?"

Mike smiled and brushed away Kate's tears. "Love isn't blind; it just only sees what matters." As the two leaned together slowly, Nikki retreated back to her own, now definitely empty, cabin.

She flopped onto the bed, not caring to change or even take of her boots, and felt like she was asleep within minutes. But now that she wasn't actively thinking about everything, Nikki's mind demanded her to understand that she was already asleep.

.....

Jolting awake suddenly, Nikki sat up in bed with her hands flying everywhere over her body. Her breathing slowed as she felt the familiar fabrics of the tank top and pyjama pants she had worn to bed. A smile spread across her face as her hand slid under her pillow, looking for Josh's last note. Pulling the folded paper out, her eyes skimmed the scrawled words.

Dear Fiancée,

Now that we've met one another, it's clear we deserve each other. We're perfect together; born to be forever dancing through life. I'll be picking you up at 8.

Much Love, Your Husband-in-Waiting

"WHAT?!" she screeched, causing Kate to jump and groan in the bunk below her. Nikki's hand flew to her throat, willing herself to feel the engagement ring nestled beside her tags. It wasn't there.

She was just starting to hyperventilate when she realised her tags weren't on either, and remembered the night out. But then... where was her necklace? Jumping out of her bed, she saw Kate sit up and rub her eyes slowly.

"Nik, what's going on? It's," Kate checked her watch, "3am. And tomorrow morning is going to be hell as it is," she moaned, her half-asleep eyes struggling to focus on Nikki's mad search of their desk. "What are you looking for?"

"The ring, where did I put the ring," Nikki muttered to herself, one hand gripping the letter as the other shuffled papers around the desktop.

The small cabin meant Kate could hear every word Nikki was saying, so she stumbled out of bed and placed a hand over Nikki's frantic ones.

"You hung the necklace on the desk light, like you always do," Kate whispered slowly, moving her friend's hand up to touch the jewellery.

Nikki took a deep, calming breath as she transferred the ring back to her dog tags then slid them over her head. Her right hand moved down to grasp the tags and engagement ring, whilst her left brought the letter back up to read.

Dear Fiancée,

I've gone diving. I'll see you in a few days. You look so beautiful in sleep. Even though you snore.

Much Love, Your Husband-in-Waiting.

"Oh thank goodness," Nikki sighed, a tired smile settling across her face. She looked over at Kate, who was still looking groggy and confused, and explained.

"Had the strangest dream. You were in it, and Bec." Thinking back for a moment, her eyes shot open. "Oh my god, so were the boss and Spider! They were both fawning over me," she added, with a slight shudder.

Kate laughed, so hard that tears were forming in her eyes. "The Captain? Fawning over you? That would've been an interesting sight."

Nikki sent her friend a glare, an evil glint shining in her eyes.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? You two ended up singing together, confessing your undying love for each other."

Kate froze in the middle of laughing.

"That's it. No more dairy products before bed."