Chapter 11: An Answer For An Answer

Skye

I got the feeling that if I hadn't been here, Lucas would have travelled through the night again. He was stupid. If he was tired then his reactions would be slower and then he would be more at risk at being attacked and killed. I had pointed this out to him, and his mocking words still rung through my heard: I didn't realise you cared Bucket. He had flashed me that false, devious smile. It had pissed me off.

Now I had been deemed an invalid, so I was sat on a log, gutting this poor fish Lucas had caught about an hour previously, whilst he worked on a fire. Watching him hunt had been amazing. I had sat down at the side of the lake, my feet dangling in, whilst Lucas had waded out waist deep. He had been so still, literally like a statue. I had never seen him be that still before. I didn't realise he could be so patient. Then he had suddenly struck the water with his bare hands. The fish had squirmed around. I had thought for sure he would have dropped it. But he somehow managed to get his knife into the fish's side and then he triumphantly swum back to me. He had done the whole thing without his shirt on, and I had surprised (and slightly disgusted) myself by how much extra joy that had given me. Despite everything I had to admit, Lucas looked really good without a shirt. Years of being out here alone had given him prominent muscles. His skin was tanned and scarred, giving him this pretty bad boy kind of look. It definitely differed from Josh's pasty skin and less noticeable four-pack.

I gazed at Lucas now. I couldn't help myself. Three years ago I had only ever heard stories about him; Taylor's son who had been missing for years, presumed dead. No one had known what had happened in August 2138. Taylor hadn't told anyone, and Lucas could barely think about it. Two year ago I detested him. Whenever I had laid eyes on him I had seen a murderer, a monster. He had threatened my mother's life, Josh's life...my life! He was responsible for many deaths, including Wash's and Kara's. He would have stabbed his own father to death if I hadn't intervened.

Out here though, I had seen this other side to him. I would never forget what he had done...but I had begun to question more why he had done it. I no longer believed he simply hated his father. I now understood how his mother's death would have screwed up his mind. He had made me deal with my emotions, and I think that was why I no longer felt angry toward my mom, and instead just felt sad. The pain no longer crippled me, causing me to act irrationally. I knew I had Lucas to thank for that. He hadn't dealt with his mom's death, I knew that now. Maybe if I could get through to him...help him...

"What? What is it?"

My heart jumped and I could feel a sudden adrenaline burst. I had been lost in thought and unfortunately my eyes had been pointed in his direction, though I hadn't actually been watching him. Though of course he didn't know that. His penetrating green stare watched me questioningly. One eyebrow was raised, and a small frown crept onto his face.

"Nothing." I mumbled looking back down at the fish.

I had removed its head, cut open its inners, and had produced some nice, large slices of its white coloured meat. Lucas had the fire going. I handed him a few slices of meat and he placed them in the tray he used as a pan.

The smell immediately began teasing my olfactory senses. Lucas came and sat next to me on the log. Although he didn't sit too close, he didn't sit as far away as possible. I hoped this meant he was forgiving me for whatever it was I was supposed to have done. I hated when people were annoyed at me for no apparent reason.

"Let's play a game." I said.

He eyed me uncertainly. I just smiled back as innocently as possible. I had had a sudden idea of how to get him to talk, and I was going to use it.

"Okay dear sister. What do you want to play?"

"An answer for an answer. I ask you a question, which you answer truthfully...then you ask me one. The only rule is that it has to be a yes or no question."

"How is that a game? It sounds more like an interrogation." He smirked.

I shrugged.

"I just want to get to know you better. I thought you may be more willing to answer my questions if I gave you an answer in return."

He frowned.

"I don't know Bucket...wouldn't you rather play I spy or something?"

I sniggered and shook my head.

"No, I get the feeling that this game is going to be more fun. An answer for an answer." I held out my hand. "Deal?"

He looked down at my outstretched hand and for second I didn't think he was going to take it. But then he sighed.

"Whatever keeps my sister happy."

I smiled as he shook my hand. The skin he had just touched tingled, and I tried to ignore its meaning.

"I'll go first." I already knew what my first question was. "Did I do something to upset you this morning?"

He chuckled slightly. I watched as he checked on the meat. I got the feeling he wasn't going to answer, but then he finally looked me in the eye and spoke.

"No."

I wanted to know more. Ask him what had. But it wasn't my turn. I waited, slightly nervous as to what I was about to be asked. A mischievous look tinted his jade eyes.

"Are you sleeping with the Shannon boy?"

Heat rushed up to my cheeks. I probably should have seen that question coming in retrospect.

"You know what, you're right. This game sucks. Let's play I spy."

He laughed.

"No no Bucket...An answer for an answer. That was the deal."

My mom told me once that if I played with fire, then I would get burnt. She hadn't been kidding.

"Yes." I answered maintaining his smouldering stare. I waited for a flicker of emotion, any emotion. But nothing came to his face or eyes. "Are you sleeping with Mira?" I countered teasingly.

There it was. Rage. Pure, undeniable rage. The most common of all his emotions and it was there in plain sight all over his face. Although I would have preferred a different emotion, I was pleased to get something from him.

"How could you even consider the idea that I would waste my time with Mira?" He spat back.

I laughed at his obvious irritation. The thought had gone through my mind a couple of times in the past, but I hadn't believed Lucas would have been with her in that way.

"I don't. I'm just teasing. Though you two do seem kinda close...I bet you did. I bet you love her really!" I mocked him, grinning.

I guessed he picked up on my sarcastic behaviour, so he laughed with me and actually joined in mocking himself.

"Oh but of course dear sister. She is the one I have been searching for."

We went on like this for a while. It was fun and I again got to see the caring side of Lucas. We quietened down once the fish was ready, and we eagerly ate, both realising how hungry we were.

"Why do you hate your father so much?" I knew it was a stab in the dark, but I thought if I could get Lucas to jokingly admit that he loved Mira, then I could maybe get him to open up about his father.

He frowned when he looked up at me.

"You know why."

I shook my head.

"You can't solely hate him because you blame him for your mother's death. I blamed you for my mom's death and I don't hate you."

His eyes quickly met mine when I said that. He actually looked kinda concerned for a moment, causing me too feel like I was again starting to break through his shell.

"Why did you blame me?" He questioned.

I smiled slightly and looked into the fire.

"There was another virus that went around Terra Nova, Lacillus Fever. It's all but gone now, but that's what killed her. If she had gotten the right meds then she would have made it. But we couldn't get the meds because we're shut off from the future...and..."

"...and you blame me for you being closed off."

I nodded. He looked away from me. Lucas hadn't asked much about my mom's death, probably figuring out that I didn't want to talk about it, so he hadn't known it was a virus. It had been worse than the Syncillic Fever. Syncillic Fever had caused their lungs to shut down. My dad had quite peacefully passed on in his sleep. Apart from his fatigue and horrid cough, he had seemed almost normal until the end.

Lacillus Fever had devoured my mom up completely. My mind began recalling how weak she had gotten. In the first few days she had just developed a cough. Both of us had thought nothing of it. But by the end of the first week, she was in hospital coughing up blood. Her greyish tinged skin had been covered in beads of sweat, and her usually bright eyes had seemed milky. She had tried to keep a smile on her face, mainly for me, but soon she was just sleeping for the majority of the day. I had never seen such a fast decline in someone's health. By the end, she had grown confused. She had kept asking me where my father was. At first I had told her the truth, too stunned to come up with a lie. But each time she had taken the news of his death like a car wreck. So eventually I just told her he was on duty with Taylor. Even though that had been tough, the worst was when she hadn't been able to recognise me. When I had called her mom, she had frowned at me and said she didn't have any children. Towards the end she had referred to me as 'nurse'.

I shuddered at the memories and pushed them to the back of my mind. Then I heard Lucas say something I never thought I would ever hear come from his mouth.

"I'm sorry."