Title: A Southern Gathering
Author: E1stwin
Rating:PG
Thanks to Angel Leeann for her beta skills.
Disclaimer: None of the characters from The Lost World or from Gone With The Wind are mine. They belong to other creative minds. This story is a merging of my favorite movie and TV show. Did you ever notice how these characters have somewhat parallel personalities? If you haven't seen Gone With the Wind, this fic may be lost on you. Sorry. For everyone else please read the GWTW characters with the correct southern drawl. I know I shouldn't mess with the perfection of GWTW, but I can't help but wonder if the explorers could make a difference in that drama. Let's see.........
Chapter 1
A Way Off
"Marguerite," Lord Roxton yelled from the living room of the tree house. "We will have to leave without you if don't get in here now!"
The beautiful heiress had been carefully packing the cache of gems that she had accumulated through the years on the Plateau and had been so easily distracted by their beauty that it had taken her much longer than necessary. "I'm coming," she exclaimed as she entered the main floor. "You should be ashamed for rushing me, I was just trying to make myself more presentable for you, John." She lowered her lashes and looked at him with a seductive smile on her face.
"You certainly did a wonderful job, my love, you're more beautiful everyday. But, fondling your gems does not find our food, or our way home. Let's go." Roxton chuckled silently at her attempt to disguise the reason for her tardiness. He knew she would never go on a trip exploring for a way home without packing her gems, just as he would never leave without her by his side.
"Fine. Let's go then. Maybe I will have time to do a little digging today, since we are leaving so early!" She walked briskly toward the elevator, pretending to be angry at being rushed. Her haughty demeanor crumbled though as he entered the elevator behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You are worth waiting for," he whispered in her ear as the elevator rumbled to the jungle floor.
Veronica, Ned, and Challenger had already walked a few slow paces ahead as they waited for Roxton and Marguerite. "I'm looking forward to exploring that mountain area we saw on our last balloon trip, I don't remember it being there when we came to the Plateau," Challenger stated as the others approached.
"I don't remember exploring those mountains before either, Challenger. It seems to have appeared out of nowhere," Veronica replied as she led the group forward at a steadier pace.
"Well maybe our way home has appeared out of nowhere, too," Ned exclaimed as he took his place beside the jungle beauty.
The explorers continued to walk through the dense jungle all of that day and most of the next before they reached the strip of mountains they were looking for. They decided to stop at a lagoon at the base of a beautiful waterfall for lunch and a swim. The sun shimmered on the blue-green water as the group wandered around the surrounding rocks and ledges that bordered the beautiful pond. As they explored, they wandered into a cave that was shielded by the cascading veil of the waterfall.
"This cave looks as if it has a passage way that tunnels through to the other side of this mountain. See the shaft of light in the distance?" Challenger lit his torch to dispel the dark shadows of the cave.
Roxton and Malone looked at each other as they readied their selves for another trip into the unknown. "I'm game if you are. Let's go." Roxton challenged the others.
As they reached the opening on the other side of the cave, the humidity of the air changed around them. It was hot and thick, the type of air that would warm your lungs as you breathed it in. They stepped through the opening of the cave into a large field that spread before them. Turning around they noticed that the opening was no longer on the side of a mountain but only a small hillside.
"Challenger, I don't think we are on the Plateau anymore." Veronica exclaimed, as she looked frantically around trying to get her bearings. "I don't recognize anything here."
As they looked around they noticed the field where they stood was home to a large crop of cotton that stretched for a hundred yards all around the weary travelers. The field was bordered with woods that grew tall straight trees with sparse vegetation underneath. Not at all like the jungles of the Plateau.
"I've seen places like this before," Malone admitted as he bent to touch the ground beneath them. "When I was a boy we would go visit my Grandmother in Georgia. She had red dirt like this on her property. It would stain our clothes. My Mother would get so angry at us for painting our faces with it."
"Yes. Those trees are Pine trees; they are indigenous to the Southern United States," Challenger concluded as he assessed his surroundings. "Cotton is also one of the main crops in that area."
Roxton and Marguerite slowly turned to each other with huge grins. "We are off of the Plateau…we're home!" Marguerite shouted.
"Well, we're not actually home but we're off the Plateau, and London is only a ship ride away." Roxton grabbed Marguerite and spun her around; the feeling of joy was so contagious that even Veronica became excited about the thought of seeing this strange new land.
"Now you two, we don't know for sure where we are." Challenger tried not to put a damper on the excitement the others were experiencing but he had a feeling of uncertainty that he couldn't seem to shake. "Let's walk up that dirt road and look for a residence of some sort."
The explorers had not walked very far when they noticed a horse and wagon coming toward them. They stood as the wagon approached and came to a stop in front of them. In the seat were a ruggedly handsome man and a pretty little girl about the age of three. She was dressed in the most lavish of blue dresses.
"Good day folks. Could I help you out, you look as if you're lost." The man eyed them out from under his wide brimmed hat.
"Daddy that girl doesn't have any clothes on," the girl cried, as she looked wide-eyed at Veronica. She had never seen someone half-naked.
"Bonnie, please". Her Father sighed as he waited for an explanation as to why these strangers were on his wife's property.
"Sir, let me introduce myself, I am Lord John Roxton, and this is Professor George Challenger, Edward Malone, Veronica Layton, and Marguerite Krux. We are from the missing Challenger Expedition, and we are indeed lost."
The group eyed the man and his daughter with fascination. He wore a dashing suit but it was definitely not the fashion of 1920's London.
"Glad to meet you, I am Captain Rhett Butler and this is my daughter,
Bonnie."
End Chapter One
Author: E1stwin
Rating:PG
Thanks to Angel Leeann for her beta skills.
Disclaimer: None of the characters from The Lost World or from Gone With The Wind are mine. They belong to other creative minds. This story is a merging of my favorite movie and TV show. Did you ever notice how these characters have somewhat parallel personalities? If you haven't seen Gone With the Wind, this fic may be lost on you. Sorry. For everyone else please read the GWTW characters with the correct southern drawl. I know I shouldn't mess with the perfection of GWTW, but I can't help but wonder if the explorers could make a difference in that drama. Let's see.........
Chapter 1
A Way Off
"Marguerite," Lord Roxton yelled from the living room of the tree house. "We will have to leave without you if don't get in here now!"
The beautiful heiress had been carefully packing the cache of gems that she had accumulated through the years on the Plateau and had been so easily distracted by their beauty that it had taken her much longer than necessary. "I'm coming," she exclaimed as she entered the main floor. "You should be ashamed for rushing me, I was just trying to make myself more presentable for you, John." She lowered her lashes and looked at him with a seductive smile on her face.
"You certainly did a wonderful job, my love, you're more beautiful everyday. But, fondling your gems does not find our food, or our way home. Let's go." Roxton chuckled silently at her attempt to disguise the reason for her tardiness. He knew she would never go on a trip exploring for a way home without packing her gems, just as he would never leave without her by his side.
"Fine. Let's go then. Maybe I will have time to do a little digging today, since we are leaving so early!" She walked briskly toward the elevator, pretending to be angry at being rushed. Her haughty demeanor crumbled though as he entered the elevator behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You are worth waiting for," he whispered in her ear as the elevator rumbled to the jungle floor.
Veronica, Ned, and Challenger had already walked a few slow paces ahead as they waited for Roxton and Marguerite. "I'm looking forward to exploring that mountain area we saw on our last balloon trip, I don't remember it being there when we came to the Plateau," Challenger stated as the others approached.
"I don't remember exploring those mountains before either, Challenger. It seems to have appeared out of nowhere," Veronica replied as she led the group forward at a steadier pace.
"Well maybe our way home has appeared out of nowhere, too," Ned exclaimed as he took his place beside the jungle beauty.
The explorers continued to walk through the dense jungle all of that day and most of the next before they reached the strip of mountains they were looking for. They decided to stop at a lagoon at the base of a beautiful waterfall for lunch and a swim. The sun shimmered on the blue-green water as the group wandered around the surrounding rocks and ledges that bordered the beautiful pond. As they explored, they wandered into a cave that was shielded by the cascading veil of the waterfall.
"This cave looks as if it has a passage way that tunnels through to the other side of this mountain. See the shaft of light in the distance?" Challenger lit his torch to dispel the dark shadows of the cave.
Roxton and Malone looked at each other as they readied their selves for another trip into the unknown. "I'm game if you are. Let's go." Roxton challenged the others.
As they reached the opening on the other side of the cave, the humidity of the air changed around them. It was hot and thick, the type of air that would warm your lungs as you breathed it in. They stepped through the opening of the cave into a large field that spread before them. Turning around they noticed that the opening was no longer on the side of a mountain but only a small hillside.
"Challenger, I don't think we are on the Plateau anymore." Veronica exclaimed, as she looked frantically around trying to get her bearings. "I don't recognize anything here."
As they looked around they noticed the field where they stood was home to a large crop of cotton that stretched for a hundred yards all around the weary travelers. The field was bordered with woods that grew tall straight trees with sparse vegetation underneath. Not at all like the jungles of the Plateau.
"I've seen places like this before," Malone admitted as he bent to touch the ground beneath them. "When I was a boy we would go visit my Grandmother in Georgia. She had red dirt like this on her property. It would stain our clothes. My Mother would get so angry at us for painting our faces with it."
"Yes. Those trees are Pine trees; they are indigenous to the Southern United States," Challenger concluded as he assessed his surroundings. "Cotton is also one of the main crops in that area."
Roxton and Marguerite slowly turned to each other with huge grins. "We are off of the Plateau…we're home!" Marguerite shouted.
"Well, we're not actually home but we're off the Plateau, and London is only a ship ride away." Roxton grabbed Marguerite and spun her around; the feeling of joy was so contagious that even Veronica became excited about the thought of seeing this strange new land.
"Now you two, we don't know for sure where we are." Challenger tried not to put a damper on the excitement the others were experiencing but he had a feeling of uncertainty that he couldn't seem to shake. "Let's walk up that dirt road and look for a residence of some sort."
The explorers had not walked very far when they noticed a horse and wagon coming toward them. They stood as the wagon approached and came to a stop in front of them. In the seat were a ruggedly handsome man and a pretty little girl about the age of three. She was dressed in the most lavish of blue dresses.
"Good day folks. Could I help you out, you look as if you're lost." The man eyed them out from under his wide brimmed hat.
"Daddy that girl doesn't have any clothes on," the girl cried, as she looked wide-eyed at Veronica. She had never seen someone half-naked.
"Bonnie, please". Her Father sighed as he waited for an explanation as to why these strangers were on his wife's property.
"Sir, let me introduce myself, I am Lord John Roxton, and this is Professor George Challenger, Edward Malone, Veronica Layton, and Marguerite Krux. We are from the missing Challenger Expedition, and we are indeed lost."
The group eyed the man and his daughter with fascination. He wore a dashing suit but it was definitely not the fashion of 1920's London.
"Glad to meet you, I am Captain Rhett Butler and this is my daughter,
Bonnie."
End Chapter One