Beyond The Shadows
-This takes place after Season 3, but bear in mind we haven't got S3 here yet so I've only seen snatchs in clips that I've come across. So if anything's out of whack, call it artistic license ;)
-Disclaimer: The usual, I really don't own The 4400, or Hannah Montanna. I do own a fansite for Jacqueline McKenzie, who plays Diana. If your interest is caught by this shameless plug, check out http://jacqui(dot)elitefan(dot)net
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ch 3 : Soccer Moms in SUV'S
Maia slept in her Mom's bed that day. In Spain Maia had figured her Mom's bedroom after lights out was strictly off limits, all though nothing had ever been said. Maia figured it was common sense, really. On some level, she was still unerved that her prediction about Ben and her Mom had been wrong. They had attended a wedding alright... the wedding of Ben's sister, held on a small island in Greece. It wasn't untill Tom had begged Diana to return to NTAC that her mom had assessed just how shallow the relationship had really been, and had returned to Seattle - without Ben.
Tonight, safely snuggled against her mom's back, Maia realised just how much she had missed having free range of her mothers bedroom, and was quite content for it to be back to the two of them for now.
She had no dreams that night, and contentedly relayed the fact to her mother as they lay in the early hours of the morning. Diana, though, was still too shaken by yesterday to be very relieved. She busied herself getting herself ready for work and getting Maia off to school.
It was a balmy summers day, with a warm breeze barely strong enough to nudge Maia's skirt. After kissing her mom goodbye, she had sat in the Centre's garden waiting for Amy to arrive, enjoying the peaceful feeling that came with thinking about nothing in particular. Suddenly she heard the school's bell chime, signalling that class would begin in five minutes. Apparently Amy wasn't coming today. As Maia got up to make her way to class, remnants of her dreams began to float in and intrude on her consciousness.
She stopped a few metres short of the front door of the 4400 Centre, met with an overwhelming desire to be as far a way from this place as she could.
She looked around. There weren't many people about - everyone was going about their business inside the centre.
She considered what she was about to do for a few seconds, and then, with a quick glance behind her, she set off at a jog. Easily slipping past the stoic guards at the gate, who had eyes only for suspicious looking adults entering, she continued down the sidewalk, not sure of where she was headed, but fairly certain it was better than the place she was fleeing. She figured that as long as she was away from her school, then the events of her dream couldn't happen.
Although she spent the day partaking in some of her more favored passtimes, she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt her conscience had bestowed on her. This wasn't like her, she knew, and she was beginning to question the logic of just how safe she was; out in the open with nobody around to protect her.
After trailing through her favorite stores in the city, lunch at the play park, and some quiet reading in a deserted corner of the library, Maia ended her day of truancy sitting on the waterfront, watching the boats and feeding the gulls. It was a beautiful, clear day, and as Maia watched the people going about their business - smartly dressed women lazily sipping coffee outside cafes, fishermen working on their boats, children meandering home from school, she wondered fleetingly what life would be like if she had never been a 4400. Would she be one of those Grandmas, chatting with their daughters outside the cafes? Or holding the baby whilst their older grandchildren ran giddily around the playground?
She shook the notion from her head quickly. She was a 4400, and the journey she had taken was a big part of who she was today. Besides, she wouldnt have met Amy and all her friends at school. And she wouldnt have Diana.
School...friends...kids... there were kids walking home ffrom school.
School was out.
She gathered up her belongings at a great speed, flung her backpack over one shoulder and set off for home like a racehorse. If she wasnt home within 30 minutes of school ending, the babysitter had strict orders to ring her mother imediatly. And then there'd be trouble!
She fled through crowded streets, breathless by the time she glimpsed her apartment building in the distance.
She kept up the pace as best she could, untill she was into the building and safely inside the elevator.
She let herself into the apartment with her key, and collapsed, exhausted onto the couch. After a few moments, she raised her head in response to the silence.
'Mrs Benke?'
She got up and did a short scan of the apartment. The babysitter wasn't here. Maia dropped her bag in her room and returned to the couch. No babysitter meant her mom was coming home early from work, and would never know of Maia's escapades that day. Relieved, she flicked on the TV and lay back, exhausted.
It had been a slow day at the office, and Diana had developed a throbbing ache in her right temple. She left the office early, hoping to beat the after-school traffic and get home to a cold compress and a lie-down.
She rung the babysitter on her cell to tell her not to bother coming over, and headed towards the Centre to pick up Maia. Checking her watch she saw there were still a few minutes before the bell, and as she pulled up at the school a small while later, the first few kids had just started to trickle out of the building. Fanning her self with her day planner, she opted to get out of the stifling hot car and wait outside of it.
10 minutes later, Maia still had not appeared, and there were now only a handful of kids milling around waiting for their rides.
Puzzled, Diana considered the fact that they had simply missed each other, and Maia had gone on home. Just as she was about to get back in the vehicle, she spotted a teacher heading her way.
'Ms. Skouris?'
Diana smiled politely. 'Jean Lowery, right? Hi, how are you.'
'Fine, thankyou. Did you want to talk to me?'
Diana shook her head, bewildered.
'Oh...no I was just waiting for Maia. But she seems to have gone on ahead.'
A shadow crossed the teacher's face,
'Ms. Skouris... I'm sorry to tell you this but Maia... Maia wasn't in school today. I...we presumed she was home sick. There's a cold going around some of the kids...her friend Amy... we just presumed...'
'I'm sorry, you're telling me you haven't seen Maia at all today?'
Diana's stomach started to clench uncomfortably, and she became increasingly aware of the nautious feeling rising up her throat.
The teacher shook her head.
'I'm sorry, Ms. Skouris.'
Diana gaped. She pinched the bridge of her nose and looked once more at the teacher.
'I've got to..I have to go.'
She abrubtly turned and hurried over to the drivers door.
The drive back to her apartment took twice as long as usual, and she grew more and more hysterical as she was stuck in neverending traffic jams of soccer moms in their minivans and SUV's. Scenarious and possibilities flooded through her mind, but for her own sanity she refused to consciously acknowlege them.
When atlast she made it back to the apartment, she took a deep breath and tried to think rationaly. Traveling up in the elevator, she reasoned she would check for Maia in the apartment, then ring Tom, April, everyone she knew that could help her, and they would all go and search.
The apartment door was locked, but Diana refused to consider what it meant. As she shakily closed the door behind her, the noise of the TV took a few moments to register. In a cold sweat, she called out hoarsely.
'Maia?!'
With blinkers on, she focused on the door of Maia's room, optimistically ajar, and hurried towards it, almost choking when she spotted the bookbag, its contents spilling out onto the duvet.
She whirled around, trying to fight the painful hope flooding her chest lest it be crushed.
'Maia?!'
A sleepy head popped up from behind the arm of the couch.
'Hi, Mommy. I didn't hear you come in. I must have fallen asleep.'
Diana closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath, willing herself to pull it together before she approached her daughter.
And then she was hurrying towards her daughter. The sight of her mother in such a state drew Maia abrubtly off the couch.
'Mom...'
Diana grabbed hold of Maia by both shoulders, shaking her slightly.
'Are you alright?! Did somebody hurt you?!'
Maia felt tears spilling over onto her cheeks, as the enormity of what she'd done and the panic she had caused hit her.
'I'm fine. Nobody hurt me, nothing happened.'
'Then where did you go? Why did you do that?! Do you have any idea how upset I was?'
Maia cried harder. 'I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Mom.'
Mother and daughter stared at each other for a moment, each taking in the tears trailing down each others cheeks and the fear in their eyes.
'I'm sorry, Mommy.'
Diana breathed a slow, shaky breath and enveloped her daughter fiercely in her arms. As Maia cried quietly, clinging to her mother, she was hit by a vision.
'Something like this will happen again mommy. But you'll have to fight.'
Diana pulled back slightly to look at the tearful child in her arms.
'Fight for what?'
Maia shivered slightly.
'Me.'
oooooooooooooooooooooo
I promise to try to update more regularly! But trust me, this is one Fan Fic that I am too far in to not to finish!