I own nothing but my imagination.
Welcome to Paradise
Inhaling deeply with eyes still closed, Arizona winced when she felt a slight pinch at her side. Rolling her head from side to side she slowly opened her eyes. Arizona quickly glanced around at her surroundings then blinked rapidly to clear away the sleep from her eyes as she shook out her head.
Hospital? She thought to herself. She lifted her head far enough to make out the rest of her environment. Machines were attached to her monitoring her heartbeat and Arizona noticed several empty beds across the room.
Slowly sitting up, making sure not to jar any of the machines surrounding her or her ribs, she finally saw everything.
There were pillars holding up a…is that a canopy? There were no walls nor was there a door. She felt as if she had landed on an island. Holding a hand to the side of her head, Arizona couldn't believe what she was seeing. Exotic plants and palm trees were surrounding her.
"I've really lost my mind," she mumbled to herself. Looking down at herself, she noticed, for the first time, that she wasn't in her uniform. Nor was she wearing your standard hospital gown.
"What the hell?" She picked at the fabric as if it were alien to her. I'm wearing a freakin toga? Arizona started to feel her ribs begin to burn with the effort of keeping herself up right but she ignored the pain. She just wanted to get the hell out of here.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, only realizing the dull pain shooting up her leg. Looking down she noticed a white bandage wrapped around her thigh. She hissed as she slid of the bed and swayed for a moment until she found her balance. She took one step and almost collapsed.
"Ahhh!" Arizona cried out. She shut her eyes as she felt a piercing pain shoot through her entire body. She began to tremble as she sunk to the floor until she felt a pair of strong hands gently guide her back onto the bed. Her breathing became erratic and she could feel herself begin to sweat.
She heard a soothing voice above her. She opened her eyes just a fraction and she saw the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she had ever seen.
"Shhh, you're safe now. Just lie back," the beauty whispered gently. She turned her head and called out for someone. "Epione! Come quick!" Then turning her gaze back to Arizona, she smiled. That was the last thing Arizona saw as she fell back unconscious.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Philippus watched as Artemis practiced with her staff just out side of the palace.
She seems so angry, she thought. Sighing heavily, Philippus just turned and went about her daily responsibilities. She couldn't stop thinking about what they had seen through the magical sphere. There were a million possibilities as to what that thing was just outside their world.
Was it a friend or foe? What were its intentions for being here and most importantly, what the hell was it? She was lost in thought until she heard footsteps behind her. Philippus quickly turned to see it was Aello.
"What is it?" Philippus asked as soon as the young Amazon skidded to a halt before her. She gave the woman a moment to catch her breath.
"The patient has awoken. But she has fallen unconscious again," puffed Aello. Philippus pressed her lips together forming a thin line.
"And you are telling me because?"
"Epione said that we were to inform you and the Queen if there was any change." Sighing, Philippus just shook her head.
You have a strange sense of humor, Epione, Philippus thought mildly. Smiling gently, she nodded in reply.
"Yes, thank you Aello, I will let the Queen know." With that Aello bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Shaking her head but with a ghost of a smile, Philippus continued with her rounds. She noticed Hippolyta wasn't in her chambers nor was she in the library. Philippus begun to wonder where Hippolyta could be when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"That's quiet a brooding look you have, General," Hippolyta said with a gentle smile. She had been inside all day and needed a good walk in the fresh air.
Relaxing visibly, Philippus gave her Queen a small smile.
"Sorry, my Queen. I had a lot on my mind," Philippus said quietly. She had to remember to breathe when Hippolyta was around her. She had longed for this woman for almost 3,000 years. Respect and admiration had paved the way to love, although Philippus would never admit her feelings for her Queen. If she had to choose between her love for Hippolyta or for the woman's life, she would do the only thing possible and protect her Queen until the day the Gods no longer existed.
Hippolyta chuckled softly to herself. She loved Philippus very much, more so then her own life. She admired the dark skinned beauty for so long that she could not think of a time when she didn't feel that way for her.
And that's why you have yet to tell this woman of how you feel, Hippolyta thought. Sighing Hippolyta just shook her head slightly and smiled gently.
"You'd think that after 3,000 years you'd be able to use my name more often, Philippus," Hippolyta said with a clever grin. Philippus blinked then blushed generously making Hippolyta smile brightly.
"I…well, I…," Philippus stuttered only to realize after a moment that Hippolyta had been teasing. She watched the smile on her Queen's face brighten even more.
"I mean, yes, Hippolyta. I had a lot on my mind," Philippus said simply. Nodding in agreement, Hippolyta motioned for Philippus to join her in her walk.
They walked for several minutes in silence. In all of her existence as an Amazon, Philippus took pleasure in these quiet moments with Hippolyta. She would never get tired or bored whenever she was with Hippolyta.
"I'm assuming you have news?" Hippolyta stated softly after a few minutes of quiet. Philippus nodded and continued to walk along side Hippolyta.
"Yes but she has fallen back unconscious." Hippolyta nodded.
"Her injuries?"
"I'm not sure. Epione would be able to tell us more."
"How long has it been?"
"Five days, Hippolyta."
Hippolyta stopped and stared at Philippus, concern written all over her face.
"And Diana?"
Philippus paused for a moment. Hippolyta glanced at her friend and waited.
"Hasn't left the Captain's side," Philippus said softly. Hippolyta was quiet as she seemed to take in that piece of information.
"Our daughter seems to have taken a liking towards our…visitor," Hippolyta stated slowly. Philippus could see where this conversation was going.
"Hippolyta-" Philippus began but was stopped by a soft hand to her forearm.
"We tend to the Captain's injuries first. Then we will deal with the rest later," Hippolyta said gently as she lovingly caressed Philippus' cheek with the back of her hand. Philippus gently placed her hand over her Queen's and held it there. Closing her eyes at the sensation, Philippus nodded silently.
Hippolyta stared at her for a second before resting her head against Philippus' and sighed. The General wrapped an arm around Hippolyta's waist and they stood there for a long moment. The light breeze swirled around their legs causing the ends of Hippolyta's dress to wrap around Philippus's bare shins. Neither woman wanted to let go so they stood out on the beach in silence.
In the distance, on the balcony of the infirmary, Diana watched the pair. An ach inside of her begun to grow and she turned away from them. She glanced over at the Captain lying on the bed and felt a rush of heat wash over her. She made her way over to Arizona and gently caressed the unconscious woman's cheek. Arizona instinctively turned her head at the touch and Diana felt a wave of protectiveness at the small action.
"You should get some rest, Diana," Epione said softly as she stood next to her friend. She placed a hand on Diana's shoulder in quiet support.
Shaking her head, Diana just smiled sadly at her friend.
"I can't," she simply said. Tilting her head to the side, Epione glanced curiously at her friend.
"Why?"
Diana wasn't sure. But something about the Captain drew her in. Shrugging her shoulders, Diana ran her fingers carefully through Arizona's hair. She was amazed at how soft if felt.
"I don't want her to wake up alone," Diana said sadly. Epione was quiet as she studied Diana. She couldn't remember the young princess ever having this kind of reaction to anyone. But then, Diana had been a different person before returning home.
Epione remembered something else. It was what drove their Princess back to Themyscira.
"You had no choice Diana-"
Diana shook her head, tears beginning to form.
"We all have choices."
Epione knew this conversation was at an end. She looked at Diana once more then pulled up a chair and gently guided Diana into it.
"You need your rest," Epione said gently. She squeezed Diana's should then turned and walked away.
Diana just moved her hand so she could cradle Arizona's then rested her head on the side of the bed. Closing her eyes, Diana hoped that sleep would find her.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Io, Philippus and Hippolyta stood by the wreckage.
"I will have teams of three patrolling the area. I'll post extra guards around your quarters-" Hippolyta interrupted Philippus in mid-sentence.
"That won't be necessary General," she said in a tone that only Philippus knew.
"I beg to differ my Queen," Philippus replied, ready to argue her case. Hippolyta shook her head.
"General, I will be fine," Hippolyta stated her behavior defiant as ever. Sighing, Philippus would win this fight. She would tie Hippolyta up if she had to.
"Hippolyta," Philippus begged softly. The Queen turned at the sound and saw pure fear in Philippus eyes. Smiling gently, Hippolyta cupped Philippus' cheek and caressed it with her thumb.
Io felt herself blush as she stood awkwardly to the side. She looked away, letting them have their private moment.
"Io, do you think you will be able to repair the damage?" Hippolyta asked. Io looked at the plane for a moment before shaking her head.
"The creature that did this made sure that this plane would never fly again. Or it's occupant," Io said honestly. She was surprised that the pilot had even survived at all.
"Thank you, Io. Will you be able to use whatever is left?" Io beamed and nodded like a child on Christmas. Hippolyta smiled in return.
"Very well. You may take whatever you can salvage. I would like this area cleared by morning if you don't mind. There will be enough talk by then and I don't want to add fuel to the fire," Hippolyta said simply.
Philippus and Hippolyta said their goodbyes and turned to head back to the palace. When they were far enough, Philippus gently grabbed Hippolyta's upper arm and turned her around.
"Why do you do that?"
Hippolyta, confused, just shook her head.
"What are you talking about?"
"You second guess my decisions. My duty is to protect you but I can not do that if you do not trust my judgment!" Philippus insisted. Hippolyta stood back, shocked at what she heard. Frustration from the past week seeped into her voice as Hippolyta spoke.
"I have never seconded guessed you or your decisions. Do not forget that your duty also entails that you regard my decisions above all else, General."
As soon as the words were out, Hippolyta quickly regretted them. She watched the emotions play across Philippus's face, watched her clench her jaw. Philippus stood straighter then usual.
"I am sorry Your Majesty. It will not happen again," Philippus replied sharply. She bowed and moved pass Hippolyta when she felt the other woman grab her hand stopping her.
"Philippus, I'm sor-"
"It is late my Queen. You need your rest," Philippus said without looking at Hippolyta. She could feel Hippolyta nod slowly and felt her release her hand. Philippus wanted to cry at the loss of contact but swallowed that emotion.
"Goodnight Philippus," Hippolyta said softly then made her way up the palace steps. Philippus remained where she was, staring as Hippolyta disappeared into her chambers. She felt tears at the corners of her eyes.
"Goodnight Hippolyta," Philippus whispered sadly.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Diana inhaled deeply. She vaguely heard voices just outside the infirmary. She glanced at the Captain and felt a little disappointed that she still hadn't woken. Rubbing her tired eyes, Diana carefully untangled her fingers with Arizona's and slowly stood. Stretching, Diana made her way towards the voices.
Walking out into night, Diana found Epione and Philippus in deep discussion. Neither woman had notice Diana until she was almost close enough. Both women stopped quickly only making Diana more curious.
"What is it?" Diana asked. She looked from Epione to Philippus then back again. Sighing heavily, Philippus stepped forward taking Diana gently by the elbow and guided her to a bench near by.
Epione sat on to the right of Diana as Philippus sat to her left. Epione smiled softly making Diana nervous.
"What?" Diana demanded. Philippus just patted her hand as if she were a child.
"Diana," Philippus said softly. She looked at Epione for help.
"Princess, the Captain…her injuries are…well, her ribs will be fine. It's her leg I more worried about," Epione said nervously.
"What about her leg? You won't have to amputate her leg, will you?" Diana asked, slightly panicked.
Eyes widened in shook. "What! Goddess no! Never that!" Diana let out a breath in relief.
"Then what is it?"
Philippus spoke softly.
"Her leg was badly damaged. Epione tried everything she could to heal her but the injury is extensive."
"The rest she gets will help her," added Epione. She saw the disappointment in Diana's eyes. "Diana, she needs all the rest she can get. It will help with the healing process, you know that."
"I know. But it's been a week," Diana said sadly.
Philippus wrapped an arm around the Princesses shoulder and squeezed gently.
"She will be fine."
Diana didn't know why she was so attached to the woman but all she knew was that she didn't want to leave the Captain's side.
"I know your mother will have a fit, but I will convince her to let you look after…our visitor," Philippus said with a gentle smile. Diana smiled in return and nodded.
"Mother will not appreciate you going behind her back, General," Diana said slowly. She really didn't want the older woman in any kind of trouble, especially with her mother.
Philippus was silent for a moment. Diana caught the look in the other woman's eyes and was about to ask when Philippus smiled brightly.
"You don't need to worry about that Princess. You just keep out of trouble and I'll be fine," Philippus said with a small laugh. Diana studied Philippus for a moment. She had a feeling something was wrong but knew that Philippus would never tell her.
Philippus just arched an eyebrow as Diana continued to stare. Sighing, Diana let it go…for now.
"It's settled then," Philippus said as she stood. Epione nodded as did Diana. "Good. Epione, please send word if anything changes again. Goodnight Diana." With that Philippus bowed slightly and turned to leave.
"Diana."
She turned at the sound of her name and smiled at Epione.
"Yes?"
"I promise I'll do everything I can for her," Epione said solemnly. Diana smiled brightly and took hold of the healer's hands.
"I know. We both will. But shouldn't you be more concerned about Artemis? I think she's starting to get a bit jealous," Diana said with a grin. Epione rolled her eyes and Diana laughed. Throwing an arm around her friend, Diana led them back inside the infirmary.
"Ugh! That woman…stubborn, infuriating woman!" said a flustered Epione. Diana tried to hide her giggle as Epione huffed and brushed her hair from her eyes. Catching Diana's smile, Epione blushed then playfully swatted Diana's arm as she laughed along.
"That woman will be the death of me!" Epione said as she threw her hands up in mock surrender. Diana threw her head back and laughed.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Arizona had the wildest dream. She had crashed landed on the most beautiful island and rescued by the most beautiful women with a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Scratch that, it's my wildest fantasy, Arizona thought with a smirk. She didn't want to wake up. Just then she felt a warm gentle hand on her forehead and nearly moaned out loud.
She heard someone laugh softly.
"I'm guessing that you'll live after all," the voice said with a hint of playfulness. Opening her eyes slowly, she came face to face with the woman from the other night. Arizona shut her eyes tight then opened them again, this time her brows wrinkled in confusion.
The woman smiled gently in understanding and moved to tenderly cup Arizona's cheek. That only puzzled Arizona even more. She struggled to get up on her elbows but the woman shook her head and pushed her back down gently.
"I don't think so," the woman said with a soft smile. God…you're eyes are beautiful, Arizona thought. Startled, the woman jerked back and blinked in surprise, blushing faintly.
"Thank you," she said as she cocked her head to the side. Eyes widened as Arizona realized that she had spoken out loud.
"I…," Arizona tried to apologize but winced. Her throat felt scratchy and dry. The woman quickly moved and grabbed a cup of water and held it out to her. Nodding in thanks Arizona took the cup in her hand but was unable to lift it to her mouth.
What the hell…, Arizona felt so weak her hand started to tremble. The woman stood and slid a hand to cup the back of Arizona's neck as the other hand went to the glass. She helped Arizona sit up a little and helped lift the cup to her lips. After Arizona took a much needed sip, she smiled in thanks and lay back once more.
"How do you feel?" The woman asked softly. She had rested a hand over Arizona's as she spoke. Arizona was mesmerized by her that she almost missed the question.
Arizona was about to answer when another woman came in.
"Diana, who- oh!" Epione's eyes widened. She smiled brightly and stepped farther into the makeshift room.
"You gave us quite a scare, Captain," the new woman said gently. Arizona could only nod. 'Diana' had moved to the other side of the bed to let this new woman examine her more closely. Arizona kept her eyes on Diana as the doctor; Arizona suspected, poked and prodded her.
"How do you feel?" The woman asked not realizing that Diana had just asked that same question. It was hard concentrating on an answer when Diana had moved to stand by her legs and had rested a soft warm hand on her leg. It was made worse by Diana's thumb lightly caressing her calf. Arizona tried to keep her leg from jerking around everytime Diana's fingers brushed it.
Clearing her throat, Arizona made anther attempt at answering the questions.
"I'm…I'm ok," she said roughly feeling a bit flustered. The young doctor didn't notice Arizona's uneasiness; Diana on the other hand picked up on it right away and smiled mischievously.
"Good, good! You rest now, and I'll inform the General about your progress," the woman smiled brightly and turned to Diana, smiling coyly. "Behave yourself Diana," Epione said with a wink.
"Thank you Epione," Diana replied playfully. The other woman laughed softly and left. Turning back to the Captain, Diana resumed her soft touches on her leg as she smiled gently at Arizona.
Feeling uncomfortable, Arizona tried to look away from those eyes as she cleared her throat.
"Um…where exactly am I?" Arizona asked hesitantly her voice still rough.
Diana smiled brightly as she brought a hand up to cup the Captain's cheek.
"Welcome to Paradise."