A Caroline in the City/Northern Exposure Crossover
by Ann Fox and Sarah Stella
1998
Winner of 1998 CitC fanfic mailing list contest: "Best Crossover fanfic"
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Part Six
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Ever since he'd worked for her, Caroline hadn't once known Richard to show up on time, so he caught her completely by surprise when he arrived promptly at 9 o'clock the next morning. She was still in her fuzzy robe and slippers when the door banged open and there he was, dripping slowly onto her floor.
"It's raining," he observed.
"Oh my God, Richard!" Caroline exclaimed softly, her words accompanied by a sharp intake of breath. She shot one anxious look at Ed, but he was still sleeping soundly, curled up into a tight ball, the sheets twisted every which way around his limbs. Her primary concern, however, was Richard. The dark circles under his eyes looked like angry bruises and there was an alarming-looking bump at his temple.
Instinctively, she ran forward, skillfully avoiding the unfolded sleeper sofa and touched cool fingers to the lump. Richard winced. "I wish you wouldn't do that, Caroline," he said, his voice utterly flat with exhaustion and something that sounded suspiciously like resignation.
"Sorry," Caroline said, letting her hands fall to her sides, "I'm just concerned, that's all." She nervously tightened the belt on her bathrobe.
Richard sighed. "I'd just rather leave it alone, if it's all the same to you. I think it actually hurts worse than it looks." He sat grimly on the arm of the couch.
"What happened?" Caroline asked, seating herself next to him. Richard shook his head. "I had to spend the night in the hallway..."
"Oh no," Caroline interrupted, "did you and Julia have a fight?" Of course she knew that really didn't explain the bump but a girl could dream, couldn't she?
Richard let his eyelids fall shut. He shook his head gingerly. "I wish, but no. The Green Man, as Ed calls him, was in my apartment all night. He trashed the kitchen pretty good, criticized my housekeeping and I actually think he did go through Julia's pantyhose drawer this time." Richard smiled wanly. Caroline answered him with a weak smile of her own. "I went out in the hallway to get away from him. Your floor is much softer than mine."
A unexpected, sweet rush of memory came back to her as she recalled the events of a...year?...ago.
"So, do you want to..." she didn't complete her thought, she just gestured to the sleeping Ed.
Richard nodded in agreement. "Why not? I guess I've got some vacation coming and I hear Alaska is nice this time of year."
"Good." Caroline reached down and shook Ed gently.
He sprung out of bed with a start and looked at the two artists for a long, uncomfortable moment. "When would you like to leave?" he finally asked.
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Gwen, who'd always been a light sleeper to start with, was awakened at some ungodly hour by a heavy banging on the door. It had been a busy day, what with settling into Annie's apartment and getting used to the idea that she and Alex were actually on their own, and she had been grateful to get to sleep early for a change. Why did New Yorkers have to keep such hectic, stressful schedules?
Groaning, she pulled herself out of the warm cocoon of her bright red sleeping bag and padded towards the door in sock-clad feet. On her way there, she nudged Alex's sleeping bag with one toe, waking her cousin almost instantly.
The pounding came again. Gwen peered blearily at her watch while Alex undid the various complex locks--2 AM.
"Ugh," she sputtered; her mouth felt full of cotton.
"Seconded," Alex agreed, smacking her lips a couple times. "This better not be Annie or Angie or I'm gonna secede from the family," she added in a mumble.
Gwen's eyes were closed and she looked for all the world like she was asleep on her feet. "Angie's out with Remo. Annie had a hot date with some guy named Seth. They won't be back till morning I'm sure."
"So maybe it's a crazy ax-murderer come to chop us into little tiny bits as a warning to other west coast girls who have designs on NYU." Alex shrugged. The last lock clicked back and Alex opened the door. "Caroline!" She peered further into the hall. "Richard. Ed!"
"What're you guys doing here?" Gwen asked, moving into the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water. Without asking, she poured one for Alex and offered it to her. Alex gulped at it greedily and the apartment was silent for a time while the two girls drank.
"Sorry to wake you," Caroline began, "I was looking for Annie..."
"Out with Seth," the two girls chorused, setting down their glasses in unison.
The eerie feeling slithered down Caroline's spine again. "Okay. When she comes home can you tell her that I'm gonna be gone for awhile..."
"Alaska," Gwen said with perfect confidence. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, all we could get was a redeye. Anyway, ask her to look in on Salty and change the litter box and pick up my mail and stuff, okay? Tell her sorry for the short notice but it's kind of an emergency."
"Will do," Alex affirmed, nodding. "Hey Ed, c'mere!" Ed obligingly moved into the apartment. Alex flung her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely. With more reluctance than her cousin had shown, Gwen mimicked the gesture. "I guess this is it."
"I guess," Ed replied.
"Try to write," Gwen added.
"I will. Maybe you two'll see some of my friends while you're here, Spike and Martin."
Two sets of eyebrows went for the sky. "Maybe, it's a big city though," Alex finally responded.
"I'll tell them all about you," Ed promised.
"And if you see that jailbird, Chris Stevens, tell 'im Paul Cazzoni says 'Hi,'" Gwen said.
"And that he has the Russian soul of Dostoevsky," Alex added. "You can't forget that," she said, addressing Gwen.
"Will do."
The three exchanged hugs again before the door shut. Alex locked up and both girls crawled back into their sleeping bags.
"Y'know," Alex's voice was muffled by a huge yawn, "we never did find out what kind of spirits we had."
"Someday..." Gwen's voice trailed off as an answering yawn possessed her.
Within minutes, they were fast asleep.
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It is a fact universally acknowledged by travelers everywhere that airline seats are absolutely impossible to sleep comfortably in. Caroline awoke with her feet jammed up against her tray table and her head resting against something warm and lumpy that grunted when she poked at it.
"Stop it." Richard caught her inquiring finger and pushed her hand away.
Confusion engulfed her for several minutes until she figured out where she was and why exactly she was there. Ed was folded up, neatly if not exactly comfortably, in the aisle seat. The rest of the airplane seemed to be waking up slowly as well, there were soft shufflings and mutterings coming from all around. Far down the aisle, the flight attendants were starting the breakfast service.
Caroline stretched herself out as best she could. Surreptitiously she glanced at Richard. He had busied himself at the window, raising the blind. Sharp, light golden shafts of light sparked in through the window. Substantial-looking banks of clouds spread out beneath them on all sides. The ground was completely invisible and it was shaping up to be a lovely day above the clouds at least.
Her musings were interrupted by one of the flight attendants asking her what she wanted in the way of juice that morning. Caroline opted for grapefruit and let her head sink back onto the seat. Her eyelids lowered again and the next thing she knew they were landing with a bumpety-jolt and the alarming roar of airplane brakes.
She collected her carry-on and her warm juice and followed Ed as he exited the plane. Richard was behind her. He hadn't actually said two words to her the entire trip and his moodiness seemed to increase the nearer they got to their destination. She crossed her fingers and secretly hoped that that wouldn't continue much longer.
Ed led the two artists to a battered but sturdy-looking pickup truck.
"It'll be a little uncomfortable," Ed apologized while Richard and Caroline tossed their bags into the back, "but the airfield's not far."
"What?" Richard asked slowly, momentarily rising out of his sullen moodiness.
"The airfield. That's pretty much the fastest way into Cicely. But don't worry," he added hastily, noting the mild looks of apprehension that adorned Richard and Caroline's faces, "Maggie O'Connell's a great pilot. She's from Grosse Point, Michigan," Ed added, as if that would reassure them further.
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Continued in Part Seven
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Please visit my Caroline in the City webpage: Sincere Amore