A/N: Woohoo, first chapter of the new story! Can ya tell I'm excited? Anywhoo, disclaimers and such..I don't own anything you might possibly recognize as creative or interesting, it all belongs to the good people who wrote the script for the show and yada yada yada. As you might have noticed, I don't have a beta yet for this story so any mistakes are all mine and I'm sure there will be quite a few. If you're interested in being a beta for 'What If' leave a note in your review. M'kay, on with the show!
In a spacious well-lit room, a man with black hair erratically parted down the center sat in a chair with large wheels on the sides and two smaller ones in the front. He looked, not young but not exactly old either, but a gray area somewhere in between. His pale face was creased with extreme concentration but showed a general lack of wrinkles. Dark eyes were focused intently on the object in front of him and shown with reflected light from the room and an intense passion within. On his lap were several small tools and he held one, a small screwdriver, in his hand as he twisted a final tiny screw into place. Straightening in his wheelchair, the man at last let his face relax and a glowing smile broke across it.
"I think that should do it," Ambrose said to no one in particular.
Gone were the matted dreadlocks on his head but the silver zipper remained in the center of his soft curls. When his brain had originally been removed Azkadellia had placed a curse on the zipper so that it would remain as a reminder forever. Now with the witch gone from her body she couldn't remember how to undo it. Immediately after they had regained control of the kingdom –for long coats still loyal to the possessed Azkadellia roamed the countryside reeking havoc and just causing general chaos and confusion- Glitch's brain was put back into it's rightful home and he became Ambrose once more. But this Ambrose was different, less severe, occasionally slipping back into Glitch-like behavior and letting DG get them into silly messes and little adventures. Her curiosity about the O.Z knew no bounds and he now understood Azkadellia's exclamations of "Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble," His surgery, however, had left him crippled below the waist and had forced him to take toa wheelchair most of the time. His legs could barely support him and while he knew physical therapy could help him regain their use eventually, he also knew motivation was a requirement for such recoveries and he just didn't think he had it in him.
Wheeling into the hallway outside his workroom, he headed up one floor on the elevator to the next floor and went quickly to the wing of the palace where his chambers were located. Going to his wardrobe he opened it and began the arduous task of dressing himself. A manservant had of course been provided to help him but Ambrose felt that the small inconvenience of dressing himself was a little price to pay for his salvaged dignity and independence. He pulled off his simple work clothes and – as quickly as he could – donned the genial court clothing he had come to wear, this in a muted shade of violet.
Now, back to the elevator and up one more floor to the Royal chambers to find DG. He hadn't told her what he was creating for fear he wouldn't succeed. Knocking on her door he called,
"DG? Are you in there princess? I have something to-"
Suddenly the gilded door opened and out stepped a flushed DG, gasping for breath. Looking into the room for the reason, he found it immediately. Azkadellia was sitting cross legged in the center of a large four poster bed draped with beautiful gauzy red and lavender curtains, all of which were pulled closed accept for the ones facing the door. The light drapes seemed to have a life of their own, drifting and floating on the warm breeze blowing through the open window and catching the bright sun on their satin trim. DG's older sister was surrounded by slips of paper, drawings, paintings, items and photos and was struggling to contain her hysterical laughter. In her hand he could see her holding a picture of a young DG covered in several different colours of paint and holding a spotless paintbrush. Raising an eyebrow, Ambrose looked up at DG knowingly.
"Showing off some of your favourite memories hmm?" the inventor asked.
He had already seen her nostalgic relics and knew the story behind many of them, including the one Az held in her hand. It was DG's first paint set and she hadn't even bothered to use the included brush in her masterpiece. In the end her final work of art ended up mostly on her body, and it actually turned out quite beautifully with strange and colourful designs painted on her arms, legs and chest.
"Oh, Ambrose. Good morning," she said out loud with a glance over her shoulder at her sister. "What's up Glitch?" she asked in a more hushed tone, using the name he only allowed her to use anymore.
"I've got something amazing to show you DG! I've been working on a new machine for about a month and a half and I think I've finally perfected it. Please come to my work room when you're done with your sister,"
Glitch's face had that half frantic look he got when he was excited about some new mechanical marvel he had dreamed up and finally brought into existence. Though he was now the queen's advisor again and she the princess, Glitch and DG remained close friends though they were only able to be themselves and relax together in private. With a grin, the younger girl hurried back across the room to her sister nod whispered a few words in her ear. She must have said something along the lines of an obviously shoddy excuse for her departure because Azkadellia raised her head to look at the man sitting in the doorway and winked at him.
"Well, I suppose if Ambrose really needs your help on that…" she paused for a second and looked at her sister, "What was it called?" Az whispered.
"A motorcycle. I asked Ambrose if he could try and build one for me and he's run into some trouble. I'll be back later, I promise," DG answered and thanked her sister quickly for her understanding. Azkadellia was one of the few people who knew that DG and Glitch had stayed so close and was convinced they should be more than just friends.
Closing the door behind them, DG walked along side Glitch down the hall. Since her return to the O.Z. DG had fallen in love with the local fashion all over again, usually exchanging her jeans and T-shirt for a dress. Today she wore a light and comfortable creamy linen skirt that reached about halfway past her knees matched with a beautiful gold coloured blouse with flowing sleeves and delicate white flowering vines embroidered along the seems and modestly scooped neckline. On her feet she had soft slippers near the colour of her skirt that made soft padding sounds as she walked along side Glitch. Back down the elevator and through the hallways to his expansive workroom they traveled along in comfortable silence.
"So, what do you have to show me?" the princess asked, unable to keep the curiosity from her voice.
"Do you remember that machine that created a holograph when we first met Cain?" Glitch said as he opened the door and wheeled into the high ceiling room. One wall was filled with near floor to ceiling windows to let in plenty of natural light.
"I've been experimenting with one, tweaking its memory, storage and abilities then attaching it to a whole new machine. What I've finally created, even I can't explain. The closest I can come to telling you its true function is that it creates a picture, a holograph of a parallel universe. For every choice we make in life, we create an alternate universe –or universes depending on the number of choices- in which we make a different choice. Universes created by choices as simple as what to have for breakfast, ones that don't truly affect your life, don't last for more than a few seconds. Others created by important decisions such as whether or not to get married create permanent universes in which your other self lives out the altered life. With this machine you can discover what your life would be like if you had made a different decision in the past," Ambrose finished his explanation of the invention with an expectant air about him.
DG stood dumbstruck. While she had understood the concept of alternate realities in theory, proof that they truly existed and could now be viewed left her with mixed feelings. What if she found answers to questions that she really didn't need to see? The first question she would ask of course, would be what if she hadn't let go of Az's hand at Finaqua? She thought she know the answer, but didn't want her suspicions confirmed. Finally she saw Ambrose looking at her and realized he had asked her a question.
"I'm sorry, what'd you say Glitch?"
"I asked if you'd like to try it out with me. It's perfectly safe, I think. All it should produce are images and sound but nothing solid," the man replied, heading over to a small control panel.
"How does it work? I mean, I understand the general concept, but how do you find the right universe among the millions that must exist?" DG asked him as she cleared away a few boxes in front of the machine to create an open space for the projection.
"That's where this comes in. Several equations are of course required to pinpoint the universes…location I guess you would call it," Ambrose replied, indicating a keypad with assorted numbers, letters and some symbols DG vaguely recognized from trigonometry and calculus along with several she had never seen. In front of the keypad was a blank screen with a few knobs and buttons around the sides that looked vaguely threatening.
"What about those?" she asked, pointing at them.
"Oh, hehe. The don't do anything really," the inventor said, sounding much like the old Glitch as he twisted them and pushed a few buttons. "I just added them to make the whole thing a little more official and keep people from messing with it..." he finished with a gleam in eyes, the gleam that told DG her Glitch was still in there somewhere.
"Well, they certainly do their job!" the woman exclaimed as she immediately contradicted herself by giving into the childish temptation to play with the knobs.
As he watched her, bent and smiling with her hair catching the sun, Ambrose had to resist the sudden urge to pull her into his lap and kiss her. His feelings for her went beyond friendly and, considering their respective positions in society, were entirely inappropriate. From the first time he had seen her, talked with her and traveled with her they had grown stronger each day. Maybe she felt something for him as well but even if she did, he could let her pursue them. Along with his memories and genius, Ambrose's sense of morality and some of his propriety had been returned. DG was a princess and that's all there was to it. She had to marry some high ranking noble, not the resident mad scientist. What Ambrose didn't know was that DG's feelings for him were just as strong as his for her. The queen had seen how her daughter and advisor looked at each other and taken them each aside separately to straighten things out. Many oh-so-embarrassing questions had been asked and Galinda gained some idea of the situation but had not interfered, given approval or admonishment. Instead, she chose to ask her oldest daughter to keep an eye on them both whenever possible. Of course, the woman had readily agreed and prodded the two together whenever possible and then left them alone.
Shaking his head to clear away his thoughts of her, Glitch wheeled over to where DG was playing at the controls.
"So, do you have any 'what ifs' you'd like to explore?" the inventor asked her.
Looking up from her fun, DG thought about whether or not she should really ask it, then decided to go ahead and damn the consequences. "Yeah, I do. What….What if I hadn't let go that day?"
She know she didn't have to elaborate on which day she meant; it had been a constant source of worry and depression for her ever since she found out the truth behind Az's behavior. Standing beside him, DG watched as Glitch punched in a sequence of numbers, some words in a language she didn't understand and finally a few ominous looking symbols.
"Are you sure you want to know this? You might not like what you see,"
In truth, he had no idea what she would see. This machine had the power to skim through the years to the deciding moment in time where someone's life changed. Of course, it could move forward through the years as well so you didn't have to sit and wait for the years to pass to see the changes wrought in the world.
"I need to know Glitch. Please,"
Nodding, Glitch flipped the switch and watched with bated breath as images began to form in front of them. In need of both physical and emotional support, DG reached for Glitch's hand and sank into his lap to watch what could have been.
A/N: So, how was it? I have the second chapter written and typed up, all ready to be posted as soon as I get the thing all writers crave...REVIEWS!! Just click the pretty button and leave a comment of some sort, anything at all will be loved and cherished!