IEHBD – HOME, SWEET HOME
AUTHOR: Lady F. , Towanda
DISCLAIMER: All of the characters of the series "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World" are property of John Landis, Telescene, Coote/Hayes, DirecTV, New Line Television, Space, Action Adventure Network, Goodman/Rosen Productions, and Richmel Productions.
Very special thanks to Cris (our very kind translator), and to all the people who read our fics and were kind enough to take their time to leave reviews.
To all people who write or read Fics keeping TLW alive.
SPOILERS: OUT OF TIME
Based on fic IF EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DIFFERENT
IEHBD series: The Duel, The Lost Dream, Gladiators, A New Apprentice
Sometimes, the memories make us learn with our past. In that way, nowadays, we can all be happy exactly due to the lessons learned.
Veronica knew by her own experience how the jungle could be implacable, and so she concluded that as soon as Tommy could learn about it, as soon he would be prepared for surviving into it. She also knew that he was very young for almost everything that she tried to teach him, and she knew his limitations. However, she spoke as if he understood, and was satisfied when noticing any progress from him. Always tenderly, when they were doing something together it was always a joy for them, and for those who observed.
She taught him the art to camouflage in the mud, that the boy loved. But when the dirty ones dared to play in that way, they were only accepted again in the Treehouse after bathing in the river (what didn't displease them anyway).
When they played hide-and-seek, the girl closed her eyes, and the boy always hid behind her.
"Where is Tommy?" - she said, pretending to seek for him.
"Eeeeeeeeere!" - he screamed, embracing her legs.
One of their favorite diversions was to play fighting. Veronica would look straight to Tommy, who could understand that sign as anybody else. He would become very serious, frown seeming to get concentrated and, as a furious bull, would start running against her. She would kneel down and he would catch her, holding her very strongly. She would lie down on the floor, pretending to try to get rid of the strong little man who was trying to immobilize her, he always panting, and showing the tip of his tongue out of his mouth, concentrated. When the kid thought he had won the battle, the implacable blond would apply him the most unfair attack: she would tickle him. They both would laugh so badly that invariably would finish crying of mirth. And then they would start a new play, where they would dispute who could hiccup higher.
Marguerite had initiate Tommy in the words' world, and he slowly enlarged his vocabulary. All the 'residents' helped in that task, insisting to teach him what was each object. As Challenger once had explained, his pharynx was lightly lower, what probably caused him some trouble with the most complex language, but so what? Even if some day he became alone, in that lost world there were much more important things to know about. And until know, everything was coming off well. When he wanted something, he would insist until he could manage to make them understand him perfectly.
Tommy also loved to remain bare feet on the ground. Veronica had made him leather sandals almost like hers, but whenever he had the chance, he took them off. And he was very fast when on that day he was barefoot and began to run around the base of the Treehouse.
"Young man." - Veronica called him - "The sandals."
Laughing, the boy looked at her, but he knew that the blond had given an order and he rarely disobeyed her. He began to return until her, when he stepped over something.
"Oh, ouch, oh." – He could not stand on the foot that was hurting, but he didn't cry. Except when he decided to be whiny, he rarely cried. The blond observed him without saying a word, waiting for the boy's reaction. He sat down on the ground and pulled the small piece of wood from his the little foot. He grimaced, shivered a little bit, but kept firm. He saw astonished the drops of blood. Then he got up.
When he approximated her limping, Veronica seated him on the trunk and carefully cleaned the little quantity of blood. Then she took him to Challenger's lab.
"How can I help you two?" - the scientist asked.
"Tommy pricked a splinter into his foot. He took it of, but could you please check if there's something left?"
"Sure. And it's good to put an antiseptic on it too." - George already extended the arms for the boy - "Come here, noble gentleman."
The man sat him down on the bench, and using a magnifying glass, he began the examination. Veronica held his small hand and the boy pressed hers when Challenger put the antiseptic and it stung. Then the scientist put a small curative over it.
"To avoid having it exposed to dirt." - He explained.
Veronica thanked Challenger, and afterwards took the kid to the kitchen. She cut an apple in four parts and gave him two pieces, the other two for herself. Then, she looked straight to him.
"You don't like them, do you?" - She showed the small sandals, threatening him to put them on.
"No, no, no" - he said, flinching the small feet and vigorously shaking his head. The young woman laughed.
"All right, sweetie. Let's see what we can do." - They went to the room where there was a trunk full of scraps of soft leather, and some pieces of tanned leather. She chose several of them, took the boy to the old wood table in the base of the Treehouse, and caught some utensils.
Aided by the child, she began the work. It had become a habit for the residents of the Treehouse to include the boy as 'assistant' in their activities, and he really seemed to like it. Veronica gave him the pieces of leather, and pointed for the ones that she wanted in certain moments.
"This..." - she said. He got confused most of the times, but after sometime he gave her the correct piece.- "...that…"
They stayed like this for hours. Then, the young woman sat down and put on her new boots. Barefoot and intrigued, Tommy looked at her. Veronica took the small pair of boots, and put them on the feet of the curious boy. He observed, moved his feet, feeling the texture of the new shoe, and soon afterwards he smiled to her and they both stayed there seated, balancing their feet, happy for finally being comfortable.
They loved the company of the other explorers, especially Malone, but once in a while they preferred to spend sometime exclusively devoted to each other.
Veronica decided to take him to the beach. It was not exactly a beach, but it really looked like a beach. Smooth and white sand, the water had a pleasant temperature, and some minuscule waves would break to the margin.
They woke up very early, arranged a backpack with food, changes of clothes, some spoons (as usual, Tommy's favorite toy) and a can, carefully reformed by Malone and Roxton, that transformed the object in a craft beach pail. And with their new boots they two walked through the forest.
In almost two hours of walking Veronica alternated, leaving him to walk, even delaying the journey. Tommy walked a little, and when he got tired, he would stop in front of her, extending his arms, asking for lap.
As she had learned in her childhood, she also tried to teach him a precious lesson.
"Tommy, danger!" - he quickly stopped squatting, covering his mouth with his hand, without emitting any sound. She smiled satisfied, caressing his hair in reward.
At a certain moment, Veronica sighted a group of ape men that certainty couldn't see them at this distance. She sat down in the grass, showing them to the boy.
"Some day, when you can understand it, we will sit down and I'll talk to you how you've came to me, sweetie."
When they arrived to the beach, both took off their boots and when stepping in the soft sand, Tommy really found strange that surface sag under his weight. Slowly he was regaining his balance, first walking on hesitant steps, and then becoming more self-confident to move.
Veronica undressed him, leaving the boy only with a diaper. At first she liked to leave him completely naked, but Summerlee had explained her that he could contract some disease being so unprotected. Then, holding the child for the hand, she entered the water with him. When Tommy tasted the salt water, he grimaced and looked intrigued to her. As always, she dragged him leaning over the water to a deeper place. Then she put him on her back.
"Are you ready?"
"Am." - he answered, already closing his eyes and holding his breath.
Then Veronica dove. She loved to feel him holding her tight. He completely trusted she would protect him. And she knew that when he pressed her tighter it was the right time to emerge. The child raised his head, avid for air, while she pretended to do the same. Everything seemed to be urgent for him, and even before having recovered his breath completely, he already wanted to dive again.
"Calm down. We're not in a hurry."
Veronica also put him over her shoulders, from where he plunged to the water with no fear. She pulled the kid for the hand, bringing him back to the surface. They stayed plenty of time playing in the water. Then they came back to the margin, where they divided an orange. Shortly afterwards they retook the fun, this time with the beach pail made by the beloved 'One' and 'Ox'.
He saw a small crab and became curious. Veronica still tried to alert him, but with a roguish smile he ignored the warning. He stretched out the finger, poking the little animal that ran from him. But Tommy was a persistent hunter and he didn't loose the prey from sight. When he finally drove it into a corner, close to a stone, the wild animal attacked him, and the frightened boy came back with the crab hanging from his index finger, running for the blond who laughed amused.
"Mama, mama, mama..." - After she loosened it, he kicked sand very angrily on top of the poor animal.
If each member of the treehouse had an assigned task, Tommy wasn't different. His work, so or more important than the other ones' job, was to make each adult to go back to his or her childhood at least for some moments.
"Hungry?"
"Hum, hum..."
They lunch some raw vegetables, fruits, water. Tommy was starving and sleepy. Veronica covered the ground on the soft grass under a tree with a cloth, and quickly he was deeply slumbering to the dreams world.
She leaned against the tree observing the boy. She provided him with all the safety he needed to grow up healthy and happy, but Veronica was sure that she received much more in exchange. Would she deserve such a valuable gift?
She imagined that if someday she came to be missed among the living ones, even though the boy wouldn't be alone. There were Malone, Challenger, Summerlee, Marguerite, Roxton.
The young woman began to arrange the backpack and laughed when finding in the bottom of it her lion Edward. Certainly the boy had put the toy in the bag without her noticing. That toy was her pal from all the lonely days of her childhood, and now it had become the child's favorite partner.
On that Sunday Veronica strangely woke up later than usual. She checked the position of the sun and concluded that it should be almost 8AM. She didn't know as precisely as her parents, but she learned fast.
When she was leaving her room, she expected to meet her mother in the kitchen, but there wasn't anybody there. She was starving and ate her breakfast. Then she decided to find her father in the library, but he wasn't there either. She sought in all the other rooms and found no sign of them. They were not by the base of the Treehouse also.
Veronica shrugged her shoulders. Certainly they had left to pick specimens. Sometimes they went out without her, and it wasn't uncommon for them to leave her during the day with her tasks. The difference was that on that day nobody had said anything, no advises left. They probably had forgotten to let a note to her.
She did her assignments, ate lunch alone, and studied as she should do everyday. After the sunset, she started to really worry about their delay. But they probably had some reason to be late, and they should be home soon. She had dinner, and read, seating by the armchair in the main room. Finally, she was too tired and fell sleep.
When she woke up next morning, it was already a midday sun. She got up and happily ran for her parents' room. Certainly they had arrived late at night and not wanting to wake her up allowed her to sleep at the main room. But they were not there. Their bed was made, as well as all their other things. Maybe they had left again and didn't want do awake her. But why?
She began to feel apprehensive. As in the previous day, she looked for them in the whole house and around it. She looked at the kitchen searching for some sign that somebody had cooked some meal, but all she found were the remains of the meal she had prepared to herself in the previous day. She felt a great affliction into her heart. She was brave and strong, and would not believe in appearances, nevertheless give place to uncertainties in her heart.
"I won't do the dishes. Mom will do that when she comes back home, with dad."
Another afternoon went by, and Veronica still held to her hope, her afflict eyes scanning through the balcony. Finally, she had an idea, and smiled happily.
"How didn't I think about this before?"
She took the eyeglass and inspected the jungle. Looking at the fastest that she was able to, and holding as best as she could the excitement in finding them, she gazed at all of the possible places around the Treehouse.
However, as time went by, her excitement was dismaying.
When the darkness fell down, she became sleepy, but insisted on keeping her eyes open. But the fatigue knocked her down.
Veronica woke up the next morning, in the same position in which she was by the previous night. Her hands still held the eyeglass, and seating in a chair, she extended her arms, stretching herself.
Once again she had had the same dream with her parents. They were all together, happy, and saying that they loved her and that they would be always by her side.
A certain revolt grew in her heart, and she decided to get up, and to look in her parents' room once again, only once more.
When seeing everything as it was, and hearing not even a noise, she screamed furiously.
"You said always!"
The scream echoed through the house, and after it, only a lament was heard.
Veronica threw herself in her parents' bed, weeping, holding on to the pillow very tight. There she stayed crying for all day, without getting up for absolutely nothing.
In the fourth day, she got up, and looked through the eyeglass just once, in the morning. Her face had already dried; the tears had not left marks. She was pleased with it, because she didn't want to look into the mirror and to see the swollen eyes reminding her everything that she had went through the days before.
The dirty dishes attracted flies and other insects. There was no option except to carry on.
Later on, ate only a fruit, but didn't feel weak. She felt sad, abandoned.
She missed them. Sometimes she thought she wanted them back. In other occasions, she thought the contrary.
But always at the end of the day, she felt so lonely that her longing was just assuaged by a mute and special friend: Edward.
The days passed by and, without any news, she carried on, getting stronger. Little by little she retook her tasks, and assumed obligations that she never had before. In a short space of time, she developed them in her own way.
Her patience wasn't eternal, she knew it very well. And she was afraid that the longing and solitude and need of company made her to do what had never been allowed to her: to leave alone in the jungle.
Madness? Would madness be the state she was in? What would be right, or wrong? She just wanted to find the people she loved.
After almost two months of anguish, she took courage and left. She feared for that moment, but finally that was the time.
She knew the risks and took the chance. When trespassing the Treehouse's domains, she reminded her father's words as if she could hear him.
"No matter what happens, never goes to the jungle alone. Never."
Raising her head, she breathed deeply, looked at the trees, with a reflexive glance.
"Sorry, dad."
And she went straight ahead, determined, not with a child's but with a warrior's steps, in search of help.
Wandering through the forest, hiding at any sign of danger, she met a woman. Actually the woman found her.
Instinctively, she hid, but the woman laughed.
"Don't worry, girl. I'm not a dinosaur."
She turned to see a beautiful and nice young woman, wearing brown leather clothes.
"Who are you, what do you want?" – Veronica tried to erase the initial friendly impression the strange had cause don her, always alert to the danger that could come from any strange.
"My name is Selena. Don't worry, young girl, I won't harm you."
"I don't believe you, lady. Let me leave in peace."
"Do you need help? Are you lost?" - The woman insisted.
Don't seeing another way, Veronica gave up.
Through the way that the strange was conducting her, Veronica started to open up little by little.
Suddenly, the woman prevented her of continuing to walk. Her glance had changed, and Veronica got scared.
Soon three ape men appeared, and Veronica yelled. Quickly her fear went way, seeing the skilled woman fighting with her sword, and finishing with the three monsters at once. Veronica was really impressed.
The only comment that the amazon made after that was: "Don't yell. This makes them more alert and just makes things worse."
"How did you do that?" - Veronica asked, fascinated, her fear had disappeared, with all concern.
The woman smiled, showing no signs of fatigue. - "Practicing, practicing, practicing."
As the time went by, Veronica missed more and more her Treehouse. But she knew she was still not ready to return and retake the control over her own life.
She always asked to the warriors that returned from the hunt if they had some notice of her parents. The answer was always a negative.
When she thought she was ready, she went to the Amazon's queen. She bent before the woman, giving her the sword that had been put under her custody during her training.
"I am eternally grateful to you for having received me here, but now it's my time to leave. My house awaits my return."
"You know you can stay here forever."
"I am not a warrior. I want to follow my parents' profession."
"Go in peace, Veronica. And know that whenever you want a place to rest of your quest, we will be here to welcome you."
She was determined to return home. Her house was needed more than never.
Veronica left, to find the Treehouse waiting for her lonely return.
Finding it abandoned, full of dust, she worked hard cleaning it for almost one week.
She would maintain everything impeccable, she decided.
A noise brought her back to reality, and then she notice the tears in her eyes.
"Tommy?" - she called, anguished, immediately getting up, looking to all the directions - " Tommy!"
It seemed to be a nightmare. She couldn't see the boy anywhere.
"Eeere!"
The boy was running and he held on to her legs. - "Eeeeere mama!"
Veronica was so stunned with her memories that she didn't notice the kid's presence so close to her. She bent over and smiled, slightly caressing the child's face.
"Hi..." - She said in tears.
Tommy shook his head, and his cheerful expression disappeared, when seeing his 'mama'. He became concerned when looking to her trying to hold her crying, but it was almost impossible.
Veronica felt that tiny hand tenderness drying her face. Only then she noticed the boy looking at her, with that sweet expression that seemed to say. - "That is my turn to take care of you."
He hugged her, while she leaned the head in the kid's shoulder, what comforted the young woman.
"I promise that I will always be with you, no matter what happens, Tommy! No matter what happens!" - She repeated among tears, firmly hugging the boy.
He extended his hand, picking the backpack and handing it to her.
"Ts go!"
"You're right" - she smiled, already a little bit calmer – "Let's go home."
And holding hands, they walked side by side, returning back to their Treehouse.
THE END…For Now
Coming soon the last one: IEHBD-My Little Christmas (To be published in English soon)
For you all, our sincere THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Lady F., TowandaBR