A/N: Sorry this took so long, folks... it's been a rather interesting week to say the least. Had a friend decide to kill himself last week, which really took the gusto out of my writing for a while. Add onto that work pressures which have increased ten fold until tomorrow at least and there was just no chance to sit down and write. Anyhow, hopefully this has all passed and I'll be able to get back down to writing again.
A/N 2: Whoo hoo, an explanation!! Yep, folks, you heard it here... today we know what's happening! :D
Disclaimer: Please see part one.
Phased and Confused
Part Five: Healing Wounds
By: Danae Bowen
Email: logansfox@rogers.com
Lord John Roxton was a strong man, put a task in front of him and he would risk life and limb to ensure that task was complete. He'd hunted every creature worth hunting; he'd killed creatures long believed extinct. He'd faced death more days than he cared to admit; he'd laughed in her face, literally. He had been through everything life could throw at him and come out the victor, but, now, his hands trembled.
When Marguerite passed out, Roxton carefully laid her on her stomach, gently cutting what remained of her shirt and camisole away from her inflamed flesh. Even unconscious, Marguerite whimpered quietly, breaking Roxton's heart. The sight of her back terrified him; the flesh was an angry red and badly swollen; where her flesh was torn was very slowly turning a darker shade than the rest of her body and Roxton realized that if they weren't able to get her properly treated within a few hours, nothing would be able to repair the damage.
Reaching into his pack, Roxton withdrew the jar of healing balm Challenger had wisely suggested they bring. The smell of the contents caused the hunter to wince in distaste, but that didn't stop him from dipping his hands into the container and begin spreading liberal amounts across Marguerite's angry wounds. He wasn't sure if the balm would help with infection, Challenger and Veronica were far better with potions than he, but he figured its healing attributes couldn't hurt at this point.
When Marguerite's flesh was fully covered, Roxton caringly bandaged her body with clean cloth strips made from one of his shirts. He despaired over turning her onto her back, but he also realized with the amount of blood she had lost in the previous twelve hours he needed to make sure she drank of the fresh water he had in his canteen. He lifted her gently back into his arms, resting her wounded back against his chest as easily as possible. The renewed pain in her wounds brought a moan to Marguerite's lips, her eyelids fluttering as consciousness was forced upon her.
"Easy now, Marguerite," Roxton murmured softly. "You've taken quite the beating in the last while." Quickly reaching around her to uncap his canteen, Roxton brought the canister to her lips, urging her with quiet persistence to drink from the cool liquid within.
"Roxton?"
He winced at the pain and confusion in her voice, but brought a smile to his lips all the same. "At your service, m'lady, as always."
She shook her head weakly, bringing her hand up to push the canteen from her lips. "You're not here. You're off with the others, probably still laughing about poor dumb Marguerite, who couldn't see when she wasn't wanted. Well I see, and I can take care of myself."
A frown crossed Roxton's lips even as his arms occupied themselves with keeping the now struggling heiress in his embrace. "Relax, Marguerite. No one is laughing, I can guarantee you that. I've been looking for you since you disappeared at the beach; I promise you I haven't stopped looking but for sleep."
Again she shook her head, her hands clutching at his forearms with a lack of strength that nearly broke the hunter's heart. "You didn't come looking; I waited for hours and no one came. I went to the camp and you had all left me there to die."
"Please, Marguerite, I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, but I'm here now. Please let me help you."
"You can't help me," she flashed him a sad smile, "You see, I'm dying now."
"No!" His voice was harsh, causing her eyes to flash open and clarity to break through the fog separating them.
"Roxton?"
"I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her tightly to his chest, keeping a careful eye on her wounds. When her lips curved into a true smile, the knowledge that Roxton was indeed holding her firmly engrained into her tired mind, Marguerite nodded, her eyelids fluttering shut once again.
"Promise?"
"I wouldn't dream of leaving."
*****
When Marguerite awoke again, the sun had long since set and she found herself wrapped securely in a warm blanket, a fire burning close by. Her mind was fogged by fever, leaving her unsure as to what had passed since she'd fired her gun at whatever had been following her earlier. Vague impressions of warm arms and gentle words floated through her murky thoughts and instantly Marguerite sighed. As pleasant as her delusions of Roxton were, she cursed them; they lulled her into comfort and distracted her from everything else. Even now, as she pulled herself into a sitting position, hissing with the pain of her wounds, she found none of her surroundings were even vaguely familiar.
She moved a hand to her aching head, quickly attempting to gather her thoughts as she once again glanced at the area around her. Long moments passed before she realized her back was wrapped in fresh bandages and the constant crawl in her flesh had diminished noticeably. Instantly, she frowned. A tiny spot of hope began to form in her wounded heart and something grew bright in Marguerite's trouble filled eyes.
"Roxton?" Her voice was no more than a whisper, a harsh grinding coming from a paper dry throat. With effort she forced herself to swallow and quickly ran her tongue over her lips. "Roxton?" This time her voice was stronger, even as the dark haired beauty gathered up the entirety of her will and pulled herself to her feet.
If he actually was with her the night before, then he promised not to leave. He had to be close by.
"ROXTON!!!"
Almost instantly came the crunch of nearby branches, and Marguerite spun around, gripping a tree for support as her head spun and her vision swam gray. She waited, her body rigid with tension, but when a familiar hat followed by a much-loved form appeared from the jungle, Marguerite couldn't control the beautiful smile that crossed her face. Relief flooded over her, and before she knew what was happening, her knees buckled.
Roxton's grin at seeing her on her feet instantly faded as he moved quickly to her side, catching her a moment before she hit the ground. "You're still weak, Marguerite, no need to go pushing yourself just yet." He smiled down at her tenderly as her hand came up to softly touch his cheek.
"You're really here? I thought I was dreaming again." She whispered softly, allowing him to draw her onto his lap and hold her close.
"After all these years, Marguerite, I thought you'd learned to take me at my word. I promised I'd be here, did I not?"
With a sigh, Marguerite smiled. "I know, John."
He gave a low chuckle and lowered his chin to her head for a moment before leaning back. "Now, let's have a look at those wounds, shall we?"
****
George Challenger paced the line of poles and flags, mumbling to himself as he studied the angle of the sun in the sky. Veronica watched him closely, frowning each time the older man paused and shifted a pole millimeters from one side to the next. She was watching him so closely that when he finally yelled out, she jumped in surprise, half reaching for her knife before she realized that Challenger was merely ready to proceed.
"You wanted an explanation, Veronica, and I believe you're just about to have it." He motioned her over to his side, positioning her so that she was standing facing his profile. "Watch carefully just as the sun hits this line." He chewed the inside of his lip, timing his movements precisely as he very slowly extended his arm across the line of flags.
Veronica's eyes opened widely and her gasp echoed across the jungle as she leapt forward, held back only by Challenger's free hand. "Challenger, your arm!"
"It's all right, Veronica. Here, see?" Just as slowly he pulled his arm back across the line of flags.
"But, how? I mean, is that possible?"
Challenger gave Veronica a small smile. "From our time on the Plateau, Veronica, I have learned that nearly anything is quite possible."
Again he extended his arm across the line of flags, watching with rapt interest as first his fingers, then his hand and then the entire part of his arm on the other side of the sun line shimmered and disappeared. Moving with the slowly shifting sun line, Challenger carefully maneuvered until his entire body crossed the dividing line and he completely vanished.
"Challenger?!" Veronica called out in alarm, moving quickly to the edge of the flags, careful not to step across. "Challenger! Can you hear me?"
She jumped back in surprise as Challenger's head shimmered and appeared, completely disembodied. "It's unbelievable, Veronica! My theory was completely correct!"
"Yeah, something I'm still waiting to be explained," she muttered quietly, disturbed by Challenger's seemingly floating head.
"Oh, my apologies!" With a shake of his disembodied head, Challenger re-crossed the line and joined Veronica. For a moment his body shimmered translucently, and then solidified. Challenger's face broke into a wide grin as he patted down his limbs, assuring Veronica he was all there before he finally began to explain what was happening.
"If you look closely at the ground directly along the line of the flags, you'll notice a layer of crystallized rock." At that, Veronica glanced down, surprised to find Challenger was completely correct. "I, myself, didn't notice it at first, however, when I began to consider why it was we were finding traces and tracks of the others but no physical presence, it all started to fall into place. This line is a solar barrier, the one place where each and every day the sun will cross, creating a wall of light for the same brief moments. Over the years, this area has become sensitive to the Plateau's shifting planes, using this solar barrier as a dimensional break."
Veronica blinked, staring at the jungle around her before finally returning her gaze to Challenger. "So Roxton and Marguerite have been transported to a different dimension?"
"Not exactly. I believe this line to be a solar phase barrier. It's not something at all proven in the scientific community, but then, nothing on this Plateau has been." When Veronica's expression remained blank, Challenger sighed. "Some radical theorists believe the universe to be separated not only into different dimensions, but different phases of reality. Basically, Roxton and Marguerite could be standing right in front of us at this moment but we wouldn't be able to see them as they would be in a different phase. Every static object, thereby trees, bodies, bags, and so forth would be visible and accessible in each different phase, but each moving object, as in people and live animals would not."
"So, they can't see us, and we can't see them... which is going to make it very hard to tell them how to cross back."
"Exactly, my dear." Challenger frowned. "How badly was Marguerite injured?"
Veronica shrugged. "Her cuts were pretty deep, but as long as she keeps them treated and wrapped she should be fine."
Challenger lifted an eyebrow. "And did she have any balm with her when you left?"
The blonde jungle girl grew pale as she looked up at the older man in front of her. "No. I only left her with some sap to help clot."
"So nothing to fight infection?"
Veronica shook her head, her eyes wide. "No, Roxton had it in his pack."
"Then we can only hope that Roxton was able to find Marguerite in time. Raptor claws carry a great deal of infectious agents; decomposing flesh from past kills, tainted blood, too much for a simple human body to handle on its own."
Veronica swallowed harshly, and took Challenger by the arm. "I showed her how to return to the tree house. She must have been heading in that direction. We need to get home and find some way to communicate with them. They need to know how to pass through this phase barrier or whatever it is."
Challenger nodded. "As soon as we all return here, I can cross over the barrier and lead them back." Self-consciously he lifted his hand and ran it across his chin, comforting himself and his racing thoughts through the small action. "We can only hope we're in time to help Marguerite."
Veronica quietly bit her lip. "Let's just hope Marguerite was smart enough to go home, or we'll never find them."
****
"Have the others gone back to the tree house?" Marguerite's imploring eyes found Roxton's gaze as he layered the thick balm over her pale flesh. The wounds on her back were less angry now, the purplish glint to their edges falling back to a more healthy red.
"I haven't seen either of them since leaving to find you." He frowned. "They could quite conceivably be searching for us."
Marguerite sighed, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of Roxton's soft touch as he moved away from her wounds and gently allowed his hands to glide down over her lower back then back up the sides of her arms. "John, I know I don't say it often enough, but I'm glad you're here."
He smiled, leaning down to press his lips against the nape of her neck, careful of the healing wounds criss-crossing her back. "I'm glad to hear it, Marguerite." With one last soft kiss dropped on her ear, Roxton leaned away and began to re-bandage her back. "Take another few hours to rest now, and then we'll head back to camp and check for the others."
Marguerite's smile was small, but a hint of her old sparkle reached her eyes as she allowed Roxton to pull her down into his embrace. She met his lips eagerly, allowing the sweetness of his kiss to wash over her, healing her in ways far better than the balm repairing her back.
End Part Five
A/N 2: Whoo hoo, an explanation!! Yep, folks, you heard it here... today we know what's happening! :D
Disclaimer: Please see part one.
Phased and Confused
Part Five: Healing Wounds
By: Danae Bowen
Email: logansfox@rogers.com
Lord John Roxton was a strong man, put a task in front of him and he would risk life and limb to ensure that task was complete. He'd hunted every creature worth hunting; he'd killed creatures long believed extinct. He'd faced death more days than he cared to admit; he'd laughed in her face, literally. He had been through everything life could throw at him and come out the victor, but, now, his hands trembled.
When Marguerite passed out, Roxton carefully laid her on her stomach, gently cutting what remained of her shirt and camisole away from her inflamed flesh. Even unconscious, Marguerite whimpered quietly, breaking Roxton's heart. The sight of her back terrified him; the flesh was an angry red and badly swollen; where her flesh was torn was very slowly turning a darker shade than the rest of her body and Roxton realized that if they weren't able to get her properly treated within a few hours, nothing would be able to repair the damage.
Reaching into his pack, Roxton withdrew the jar of healing balm Challenger had wisely suggested they bring. The smell of the contents caused the hunter to wince in distaste, but that didn't stop him from dipping his hands into the container and begin spreading liberal amounts across Marguerite's angry wounds. He wasn't sure if the balm would help with infection, Challenger and Veronica were far better with potions than he, but he figured its healing attributes couldn't hurt at this point.
When Marguerite's flesh was fully covered, Roxton caringly bandaged her body with clean cloth strips made from one of his shirts. He despaired over turning her onto her back, but he also realized with the amount of blood she had lost in the previous twelve hours he needed to make sure she drank of the fresh water he had in his canteen. He lifted her gently back into his arms, resting her wounded back against his chest as easily as possible. The renewed pain in her wounds brought a moan to Marguerite's lips, her eyelids fluttering as consciousness was forced upon her.
"Easy now, Marguerite," Roxton murmured softly. "You've taken quite the beating in the last while." Quickly reaching around her to uncap his canteen, Roxton brought the canister to her lips, urging her with quiet persistence to drink from the cool liquid within.
"Roxton?"
He winced at the pain and confusion in her voice, but brought a smile to his lips all the same. "At your service, m'lady, as always."
She shook her head weakly, bringing her hand up to push the canteen from her lips. "You're not here. You're off with the others, probably still laughing about poor dumb Marguerite, who couldn't see when she wasn't wanted. Well I see, and I can take care of myself."
A frown crossed Roxton's lips even as his arms occupied themselves with keeping the now struggling heiress in his embrace. "Relax, Marguerite. No one is laughing, I can guarantee you that. I've been looking for you since you disappeared at the beach; I promise you I haven't stopped looking but for sleep."
Again she shook her head, her hands clutching at his forearms with a lack of strength that nearly broke the hunter's heart. "You didn't come looking; I waited for hours and no one came. I went to the camp and you had all left me there to die."
"Please, Marguerite, I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, but I'm here now. Please let me help you."
"You can't help me," she flashed him a sad smile, "You see, I'm dying now."
"No!" His voice was harsh, causing her eyes to flash open and clarity to break through the fog separating them.
"Roxton?"
"I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her tightly to his chest, keeping a careful eye on her wounds. When her lips curved into a true smile, the knowledge that Roxton was indeed holding her firmly engrained into her tired mind, Marguerite nodded, her eyelids fluttering shut once again.
"Promise?"
"I wouldn't dream of leaving."
*****
When Marguerite awoke again, the sun had long since set and she found herself wrapped securely in a warm blanket, a fire burning close by. Her mind was fogged by fever, leaving her unsure as to what had passed since she'd fired her gun at whatever had been following her earlier. Vague impressions of warm arms and gentle words floated through her murky thoughts and instantly Marguerite sighed. As pleasant as her delusions of Roxton were, she cursed them; they lulled her into comfort and distracted her from everything else. Even now, as she pulled herself into a sitting position, hissing with the pain of her wounds, she found none of her surroundings were even vaguely familiar.
She moved a hand to her aching head, quickly attempting to gather her thoughts as she once again glanced at the area around her. Long moments passed before she realized her back was wrapped in fresh bandages and the constant crawl in her flesh had diminished noticeably. Instantly, she frowned. A tiny spot of hope began to form in her wounded heart and something grew bright in Marguerite's trouble filled eyes.
"Roxton?" Her voice was no more than a whisper, a harsh grinding coming from a paper dry throat. With effort she forced herself to swallow and quickly ran her tongue over her lips. "Roxton?" This time her voice was stronger, even as the dark haired beauty gathered up the entirety of her will and pulled herself to her feet.
If he actually was with her the night before, then he promised not to leave. He had to be close by.
"ROXTON!!!"
Almost instantly came the crunch of nearby branches, and Marguerite spun around, gripping a tree for support as her head spun and her vision swam gray. She waited, her body rigid with tension, but when a familiar hat followed by a much-loved form appeared from the jungle, Marguerite couldn't control the beautiful smile that crossed her face. Relief flooded over her, and before she knew what was happening, her knees buckled.
Roxton's grin at seeing her on her feet instantly faded as he moved quickly to her side, catching her a moment before she hit the ground. "You're still weak, Marguerite, no need to go pushing yourself just yet." He smiled down at her tenderly as her hand came up to softly touch his cheek.
"You're really here? I thought I was dreaming again." She whispered softly, allowing him to draw her onto his lap and hold her close.
"After all these years, Marguerite, I thought you'd learned to take me at my word. I promised I'd be here, did I not?"
With a sigh, Marguerite smiled. "I know, John."
He gave a low chuckle and lowered his chin to her head for a moment before leaning back. "Now, let's have a look at those wounds, shall we?"
****
George Challenger paced the line of poles and flags, mumbling to himself as he studied the angle of the sun in the sky. Veronica watched him closely, frowning each time the older man paused and shifted a pole millimeters from one side to the next. She was watching him so closely that when he finally yelled out, she jumped in surprise, half reaching for her knife before she realized that Challenger was merely ready to proceed.
"You wanted an explanation, Veronica, and I believe you're just about to have it." He motioned her over to his side, positioning her so that she was standing facing his profile. "Watch carefully just as the sun hits this line." He chewed the inside of his lip, timing his movements precisely as he very slowly extended his arm across the line of flags.
Veronica's eyes opened widely and her gasp echoed across the jungle as she leapt forward, held back only by Challenger's free hand. "Challenger, your arm!"
"It's all right, Veronica. Here, see?" Just as slowly he pulled his arm back across the line of flags.
"But, how? I mean, is that possible?"
Challenger gave Veronica a small smile. "From our time on the Plateau, Veronica, I have learned that nearly anything is quite possible."
Again he extended his arm across the line of flags, watching with rapt interest as first his fingers, then his hand and then the entire part of his arm on the other side of the sun line shimmered and disappeared. Moving with the slowly shifting sun line, Challenger carefully maneuvered until his entire body crossed the dividing line and he completely vanished.
"Challenger?!" Veronica called out in alarm, moving quickly to the edge of the flags, careful not to step across. "Challenger! Can you hear me?"
She jumped back in surprise as Challenger's head shimmered and appeared, completely disembodied. "It's unbelievable, Veronica! My theory was completely correct!"
"Yeah, something I'm still waiting to be explained," she muttered quietly, disturbed by Challenger's seemingly floating head.
"Oh, my apologies!" With a shake of his disembodied head, Challenger re-crossed the line and joined Veronica. For a moment his body shimmered translucently, and then solidified. Challenger's face broke into a wide grin as he patted down his limbs, assuring Veronica he was all there before he finally began to explain what was happening.
"If you look closely at the ground directly along the line of the flags, you'll notice a layer of crystallized rock." At that, Veronica glanced down, surprised to find Challenger was completely correct. "I, myself, didn't notice it at first, however, when I began to consider why it was we were finding traces and tracks of the others but no physical presence, it all started to fall into place. This line is a solar barrier, the one place where each and every day the sun will cross, creating a wall of light for the same brief moments. Over the years, this area has become sensitive to the Plateau's shifting planes, using this solar barrier as a dimensional break."
Veronica blinked, staring at the jungle around her before finally returning her gaze to Challenger. "So Roxton and Marguerite have been transported to a different dimension?"
"Not exactly. I believe this line to be a solar phase barrier. It's not something at all proven in the scientific community, but then, nothing on this Plateau has been." When Veronica's expression remained blank, Challenger sighed. "Some radical theorists believe the universe to be separated not only into different dimensions, but different phases of reality. Basically, Roxton and Marguerite could be standing right in front of us at this moment but we wouldn't be able to see them as they would be in a different phase. Every static object, thereby trees, bodies, bags, and so forth would be visible and accessible in each different phase, but each moving object, as in people and live animals would not."
"So, they can't see us, and we can't see them... which is going to make it very hard to tell them how to cross back."
"Exactly, my dear." Challenger frowned. "How badly was Marguerite injured?"
Veronica shrugged. "Her cuts were pretty deep, but as long as she keeps them treated and wrapped she should be fine."
Challenger lifted an eyebrow. "And did she have any balm with her when you left?"
The blonde jungle girl grew pale as she looked up at the older man in front of her. "No. I only left her with some sap to help clot."
"So nothing to fight infection?"
Veronica shook her head, her eyes wide. "No, Roxton had it in his pack."
"Then we can only hope that Roxton was able to find Marguerite in time. Raptor claws carry a great deal of infectious agents; decomposing flesh from past kills, tainted blood, too much for a simple human body to handle on its own."
Veronica swallowed harshly, and took Challenger by the arm. "I showed her how to return to the tree house. She must have been heading in that direction. We need to get home and find some way to communicate with them. They need to know how to pass through this phase barrier or whatever it is."
Challenger nodded. "As soon as we all return here, I can cross over the barrier and lead them back." Self-consciously he lifted his hand and ran it across his chin, comforting himself and his racing thoughts through the small action. "We can only hope we're in time to help Marguerite."
Veronica quietly bit her lip. "Let's just hope Marguerite was smart enough to go home, or we'll never find them."
****
"Have the others gone back to the tree house?" Marguerite's imploring eyes found Roxton's gaze as he layered the thick balm over her pale flesh. The wounds on her back were less angry now, the purplish glint to their edges falling back to a more healthy red.
"I haven't seen either of them since leaving to find you." He frowned. "They could quite conceivably be searching for us."
Marguerite sighed, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of Roxton's soft touch as he moved away from her wounds and gently allowed his hands to glide down over her lower back then back up the sides of her arms. "John, I know I don't say it often enough, but I'm glad you're here."
He smiled, leaning down to press his lips against the nape of her neck, careful of the healing wounds criss-crossing her back. "I'm glad to hear it, Marguerite." With one last soft kiss dropped on her ear, Roxton leaned away and began to re-bandage her back. "Take another few hours to rest now, and then we'll head back to camp and check for the others."
Marguerite's smile was small, but a hint of her old sparkle reached her eyes as she allowed Roxton to pull her down into his embrace. She met his lips eagerly, allowing the sweetness of his kiss to wash over her, healing her in ways far better than the balm repairing her back.
End Part Five