AN: Okay Folks, this is what we call a re-post, because this story really needed the overhaul. So I'm stretching this story out into several chapters then adding new ones at the end… This is not new story material, but it is improved…so if you read the original, you may want to reread this…but if not then skip to Chp6…when I release it.

This tale will have f/f as I have previously stated above in the summary. There will be language, because if you're being chased by a super predator, 'Darn' and 'Crap' don't quite cut it.

I don't hate Mark and Maddy, as previously stated, I simply think 'boy meets girl' is a little tired and predictable…sure 'girl meets girl' ain't much better, but at least it's a little different.

This story will only really follow Maddy and Lex, you'll meet her soon enough. This is really just a love story…with some action here and there.

And I'm rambling so read, read, read, and don't forget to reviewwww…(Imagine that involved jumping into the portal)

Disclaimer: I do not own Terra Nova… (But if I did…well let's not feed those dark thoughts)

Day One:

Noticing a figure approaching from the distance one of the guards relays a message to Commander Taylor, "Commander! We've got incoming."

"Sixers?" He swiftly rises from his desk and awaits an answer.

"Unconfirmed."

Taylor moves toward the door barking into his radio, "Well, find out."

"Yes, sir."

As he leaves his office he motions to another soldier, "Put the base on alert."

"Yes, sir." She swiftly follows his instruction.

Taylor and his standard interceptor troops are standing on the this side of the closed gate as six people dressed in black uniforms approach.

"Stand down. Open the gate. They're Eden Special Recon."

As the gate opens the leader steps forward, "Commander." The bald man stands at six foot three with a bulky build as he throws forward his scarred left hand. He had been in more than a few entanglements with various dinos that required him to get a lot closer than many would be comfortable with…but he always left his opponent in worse shape.

"Doc." The Commander takes it and shakes vigorously.

"Uncle." A six foot tall sixteen year old girl with deeply tanned skin flexes her powerful lean muscles as she drops the hundred and fifty plus pounds of equipment she has been lugging for the past five miles.

"Lexi, it's been awhile. Looks like you keep growing someone's going to mistake you for a carno." Taylor shakes his head in disbelief how much she resembles her mountain of a father… luckily she got her mother's looks.

"Maybe." Grinning she stretches her long arms and slender fingers over her head of short slightly curled brown hair.

Taking notice of the pile of equipment that she dropped Taylor looks right at James, "How much you making her carry, James?"

James throws his eyes to the oversized packs on the ground near her feet, "I told her not to overdo it, but that's about 150lbs, give or take."

The commander grins, "Damn, need a few mules like her around here."

She looks right at him through her piercing blue eyes as she smiles, "Well, you'll have me for the next two years."

"Really? So you're leaving your little girl here?" Lex grins as Taylor puts his hand on her shoulder and shakes it lightly.

"We decided to give her two years off, let her experience the easy livin' of colony life."

James's chuckle is interrupted by Jim walking up, "Easy livin'? Who told you this place was easy?"

"This is Jim Shannon." As Taylor makes the introduction he leans over to James, "…he's new." But quickly resumes, "Shannon, this Dr. James Monroe and his daughter Alexandra, my niece."

All nod while exchanging the standard pleasantry, "Nice to meet you." Followed by two quick handshakes. "So I haven't seen either of you around here before." He looks them over to make damn sure he hadn't seen them in passing.

"We work with Eden Special Recon. Scout out the next Terra Nova and run several research outposts a thousand plus miles out." James castes his thumb out toward the jungles.

"That's quite a ways out, especially with no vehicle." Jim noticed the distinct lack of any auto near the gate. James chuckles lightly,

"Engines attract unwanted attention, not really our thing. So that's why we only comeback every couple years, at random."

Noah puts his hand on his dear brother-in-law's shoulder as he asks, "How long are you staying this time?"

He scratches his chin, "I figured I give the team a few days' rest, so…maybe three, maybe."

"Your house is just as you left it." Nathan reassures his brother as he motions to the general direction of the vacant home.

James turns to his soldiers, awaiting orders, "Go catch forty winks, then forty more. You're official on leave."

They all salute him, "Sir, thank you, sir." Before the four soldiers quickly disembark hauling their gear, leaving behind their data modules with the Doc. The data modules contained all of the research logs collected over the past two years; new scientific discoveries, potential new colony sites, and various observations on local fauna, flora, and tectonic activity.

Turning to his daughter James looks at her sternly, "As for you…take your time, you've got two years off." Then smiles as he pats her on the back.

"Yes, sir." She picks up her gear and heads off after the others.

With Lex gone James turns back to Nathan, "Now Noah, I don't want her getting soft. I know this place isn't a 2149 luxury dome, but it's still nothing to the Mobile Ops Recon Camp."

"I know, don't worry I'll keep her sharp." The commander nods.

"I'm glad, now what have you been up to?" Two years is a rather long time and James is hoping for some interesting stories.

Taylor speaks flatly, "New pilgrims, Sixer attacks, dino attacks, and a new medical emergency every time you turn around."

"So, the normal stuff then?" James smirks.

Taylor chuckles, "Yeah, pretty much."

Sounding a little disappointed James inquires, "No fantastic stories?"

"Some, come on I'll tell ya' over a few belts." Nathan motions to his office. He notices Jim glancing at James's hands, "I'd be careful Shannon, Doc is nothing like our docs. His first year here he beat a Slasher to death with his bare hands." Jim tries to picture someone crazy enough to actually assault one of those monsters with your bare hands.

James clarifies as he laughs lightly, "Well, technically I used a broken piece of the roll-cage from one of the light rovers." Not as shocked now, thanks to this new piece of information…but still pretty damned stunned, considering the stories he's sure to hear when they get inside the office.

Carefully Lex unpacks her gear and stows it in her room after cleaning off an inch of dust built up over her long absence. She takes extra care in stowing her rifle cases on the shelf beside the bed. Before she places them, she opens and inspects the lethal instruments;

The first is her long barrel .308 bolt-action sniper rifle, Mary, custom made with a light weight matte black frame and stock, making it only about four pounds. With a low kick thanks to the top of the line recoil reduction system it can deliver pain to the target and not the shooter. And with the 20x Longshot scope there is nothing that can escape her sight. This is her standard ops weapon, it's a bit worn after two years of serious ware, but it's still her baby.

The second is a short barrel .50 caliber anti-material rifle, Louisa, fitted with an experimental recoil absorption stock and extra heavy barrel to keep her shoulder intact after each shot. It also allows her to fire super high velocity rounds without compromising the barrel's integrity. These mods would have driven the already heavy gun up to 35lbs if it weren't for the extra light, super strong carbon nano-tubing body, which dropped the weight back down to a nice 27lbs. This was a beautiful weapon of serious destructive power that only appeared during the advent of large predators. If this gun was alive they would already be married, and it would've been a match made in heaven.

After storing her prized possessions she showers, dresses in civvies, and heads out to see how much has changed in her absence. She decides to wear her twin 12.7mm handguns, just in case. Knowing full well that most of the soldiers would find her choice in older model chemical firing weapons strange, she conceals them using her vest and worn jacket…her smaller bust helped considerable in this endeavor.

Noticing Lex's exit from the house, which she previously thought was needlessly abandoned, Maddy decides to say hi,

"Hello." (close enough)

Not caught off-guard in the least by her sudden appearance, Lex returns the greeting, "Hello…" After eyeing her for a second she smiles, "I'm assuming you were with the last pilgrimage." Taking notice of the way the girl carried herself Lex took a stab at her date of arrival.

Maddy nods, "Yeah, the tenth."

"Already up to ten, uhm…I came before the first."

"Before?" Staring at her curiously, Maddy isn't quite sure how one could possibly arrive before the first…that by its very definition should make it impossible.

"I came through with the team that arrived before the first official pilgrimage."

The information sinks in, "Oh, you've been here for seven years then? Aren't you a bit young?" Maddy eyes her, taking in the fact that she appears younger than she would have thought would have been allowed before the pilgrimages, considering how much more dangerous it must have back then.

Lex bobs her head from side to side, "Normally yes, but my father was somewhat highly prized. So…here I am almost half my life spent in 85mil B.C. later." She motions to the general area.

"So…where were you? I know I haven't been here that long, but why haven't I seen you?" Maddy stares at her inquisitively.

Lex answers flatly, "Field work for the past two years, I've been at M.O.R.C."

"MORC?"

"Mobile Operations Recon Camp. The Head Quarters of Eden Special Recon."

"Eden Special Recon?"

Sighing Lex gives a more descriptive explanation than her father normally would…mostly because she liked to talk to this stranger, and simply felt comfortable talking about non-classified information with the greenhorn.

Noticing the somewhat stunned look on Maddy's face, Lex smiles thinly, "I know, but eventually you get used to being cut off from the portal and Terra Nova…the bonus is no Sixers."

"Nice bonus." Maddy smiles sheepishly. Considering the trouble they've been causing it would certainly be nice for them to not be around…not necessarily at the cost of the portal, but still nice.

"Yeah, by the way I'm Alexandra Monroe, but please call me Lex." She finally extends her hand to the stranger, who also never gave her name.

"Okay, Lex. And I'm sorry, I'm Maddy Shannon." Maddy feels a wee bit foolish for not making an introduction when she first approached her.

Normally when two people share a last name it doesn't necessarily mean they would know each other, but given the small population of Terra Nova, Lex finds need to ask, "Shannon, as in Jim Shannon?"

Maddy smiles, "He's my father."

"I guess you get your lo…"

Lex is interrupted by Josh jogging over, "Hey sis, who's your friend?"

"This is Lex." Maddy introduces him to the much taller girl, then her brother, "And this is Josh."

"It's a pleasure, and if you say 'the pleasure is all mine' I will go ESR hand-to-hand on your ass." She strikes a light combat pose as she grins playfully…or at least in a manner that may convey that she doesn't actually plan on hurting him.

Maddy giggles as she tosses up her hand dismissively, "Don't worry Josh has someone back home."

"In 2149? I kinda wish I did…but leaving at nine didn't leave me many connections." Lex frowns a bit.

Detecting the slight hints of sorrow he inquires, "Why would you want someone back in 2149?"

"Because there aren't many choices here. Back home overpopulation, here sever underpopulation." Lex shrugs, the sorrow is still in her eyes. It's hard enough for a girl to find someone when there are barely over a thousand people in the world, it's made much harder when you're searching for a girl who likes girls too.

"Well maybe you should try the soldiers, Maddy found her one." He gently shoves his sister as he speaks.

"Hey…" She shoves back.

Lex shakes her head, "Nah, I'm a soldier. I think I'd prefer someone less aggressive…

Too much fight ain't good for the soul,

but a little fight will help you grow old,

in each other's arms you shall stay,

until that fateful day." Her poetry may not be of legend but it bares her heart and soul, and she intends to keep using it until she snags her a girl who falls for the sappy stuff.

"That's nice." Maddy smiles…genuinely.

"Yeah, not much of a poet, but I try." Lex shrugs while smiling.

In a rather reassuring tone Maddy encourages her, "Well, I think it was lovely."

"And you?"

Josh responds with a hand shaking in an 'eh' motion and an, "Eh, okay."

"Two outta three ain't bad."

AN: So that was my attempt to improve this story…because God knows it needed it. Probably not as good as it could be, but still better.

Opinions are always welcome…and,

-May Dread watch over you-