A/N: Sorry this took so long folks... it's been a long hard few months in my world, unfortunately. Add in I was determined to finish my latest Farscape fiction before getting back to this... my muse can be a stubborn little tralk when she wants to be... and, well, Unfrozen took far longer than I had hoped. Please forgive me. I promise it will definitely not be another two months before the next part is written.
Disclaimer: See part one.
Phased and Confused
Part Six
By: Danae Bowen
Email: logansfox@rogers.com
The trek back to camp took far longer than Roxton had hoped.
When they'd awoken as the sun rose to burn the sky, Roxton and Marguerite paused only for a sip of water and a few bites of fruit before beginning their slow, and for Marguerite, painful walk across the rapidly warming jungle. Still weakened by her infection, Marguerite required far more rest stops than normal, slowing their progress even further. Concern tinged Roxton's expression each time he glanced back at her and found her brow drenched in sweat and a look of intense concentration on her face as she forced one foot in front of the other for countless kilometers.
Hours had passed when Marguerite's vision began to swim before her, and suddenly unable to call for Roxton's help, she sagged heavily against a tree. Sliding to the ground, the rough bark of the tree scraping at her tender flesh, she whimpered and buried her face in her hands.
Unaware of Marguerite's situation, Roxton continued onwards, painstakingly tracking the way back to the small lake where this had all began so few hours before. Five minutes passed before he looked over his shoulder to check Marguerite's progress and noticed her missing.
"Marguerite? Marguerite!"
He found her again, not far behind him on the trail, leaning her shoulder against a tree. As he approached, rather than the vehement look Roxton anticipated, Marguerite cast him a sheepish expression.
"I know. I should have asked for a stop, you needn't remind me," she muttered quickly, instantly defensive against his look of reproach.
Roxton shook his head quickly, softening his expression, trying to make her see that he was angry with himself rather than the wounded heiress. "Come now, Marguerite, you've never been shy about asking for breaks before, don't start now," he teased gently, lowering himself to sit beside her.
"Are you in much pain?"
She shrugged. "No worse, no better I suppose."
"Shall I check your wrap?" His concerned expression was enough to force Marguerite to relent, sighing in defeat as she slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
"You know, technically we would be considered married in some cultures," Marguerite quipped lightly as Roxton gently unwrapped her back. "The number of times I've removed my clothing for you over the years is growing indecent."
"Yes, but I've been nothing but a gentleman," he smiled tightly, probing her wounds with gentle fingers.
"On most occasions," she conceded.
"Why, Marguerite, are you implying that I would have any motive for getting you out of your clothing beyond that of your continuing good health?" Roxton's eyes sparkled brilliantly, much relieved by the sight of healing flesh and Marguerite's good humor. Wasting no time, he generously began lathering a fresh layer of healing balm over her back, smothering a chuckle at her wince of distaste when the scent hit her nostrils.
"When I smell this awful? Somehow I doubt it." She craned her neck, glancing over her shoulder at her troublesome back. A gasp passed her lips as she caught sight of the ruined flesh, horror filling her eyes. "My lord! Tell me that isn't as bad as it looks!"
"It isn't as bad as it looks." His voice was even, his tone reassuring as he recapped the jar of balm and carefully began re-wrapping Marguerite's back.
She bit her lip, turning away from the sight. "How can you stand to look at me? I'm going to be scarred for life!"
"The scars should be minimal. It looks worse than it actually is due to the inflammation from the infection. Once the infection is completely gone, you'll begin to see a vast difference. I promise you, love, you'll hardly even notice once they've healed." He grinned. "Trust me; you've seen some of my scars."
"That, Lord Roxton, is not a comforting thought."
"Ah, but, Marguerite, I do quite well when it comes to gauging how poorly a wound will heal. Besides, you'll always be beautiful to me." With a final check of her wrap, he paused to drop a gentle kiss against her temple before rising to his feet. "Come on, now, put your shirt back on and we'll have something to eat before we start again."
*****
"We should have waited for them, Challenger. There had to be something we could do to get our message across without leaving them in the jungle."
Challenger smiled tightly as he and Veronica continued their long journey across the plateau. "Returning to the tree house is our only viable option, Veronica. We need a haven where Roxton and Marguerite will feel comfortable enough to move about without gauging their actions. Once we begin to notice the movement of objects we ourselves have not touched, we will be aware of their presence and can begin putting our plan into motion."
"And what exactly is our plan?"
"To inform them of their situation and return to the solar phase barrier."
"Great, so all we need to do is find a way to cross the phase barrier without actually crossing it, two days journey away from the thing, convince Roxton and Marguerite that we are who we say we are, get them to return to the exact place and exact time they were phased, and hope they cross over correctly?"
"Now you're catching on." Challenger's small joke fell flat as Veronica's concerned expression never wavered. The professor sighed softly. "Veronica, this is our only option beyond one of us crossing the phase barrier and searching for Roxton and Marguerite on our own."
"At least then we'd be doing something other than waiting. You've said it isn't dangerous, so I don't understand why we're heading home rather than doing what we know we can."
"Veronica..."
"Challenger, you know how highly I value your opinion, right?"
"Of course, my dear."
"Then please don't take offense when I say this, but this time you're wrong." Veronica sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stared out over the jungle. "We're running on the hope that Roxton finds Marguerite and they both return to the tree house, but you know Roxton as well as I do, and the first thing they're going to do is begin looking for us. Without knowing about the phase barrier, they'll only find us if they cross it unknowingly at exactly the right moment. The odds on that happening again are...?"
"Incredible."
"Exactly! But if we cross the barrier and actively search for them, we'll be able to find them and explain what's happened and bring them back to the barrier with half the trouble it would take to do things your way." She paused. "Besides, how were you hoping to contact them anyway? I don't think either of us is willing to touch that Ouija board again."
Challenger sighed. "All right, Veronica, all right. Rather than take the journey to the tree house immediately, we'll give twenty-four hours to your plan. If we've not found them by dusk tomorrow, we cross back and return to the tree house." He caught her gaze, holding it steady. "Fair?"
Slowly she nodded. "Fair."
"Then we'd best be on our way back. At the rate the sun is falling, we may not be able to cross over until morning."
"Let's just hope Roxton and Marguerite haven't gone very far."
*******
"Come on, Marguerite, not far now."
"For God's sake, John, you said that two hours ago."
Roxton glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "It kept you going, didn't it?"
"Have I told you how amusing you are?"
"Not lately."
"Good."
He chuckled and dropped his pace to walk along side her, relieved at her show of spirit. "This time it's the truth. The camp is just beyond that hillside. If you look at just the right moment, you can see the sun reflected off the lake you were bathing in. Another half an hour at most."
Marguerite sighed and shifted her shoulders painfully. "Hopefully Challenger will have something more effective than that balm in his pack."
"You're in pain again?" Roxton's voice was immediately morose, thinking he'd caused Marguerite's wounds to worsen yet again.
"Just aching now," she comforted smoothly, for once ignoring the instinct to exaggerate her situation.
Roxton's eyebrow lifted as he examined her features for any sign that she was covering any serious ailment, but she met his gaze with a smile and shrugged. "If we're only a half hour off, Roxton, why are we wasting time standing here talking?"
With one last glance to make sure Marguerite was telling the truth, Roxton sighed and increased their pace yet again.
True to his word, less than a half an hour later they walked into what used to be their camp, and a frown instantly crossed Roxton's face. "What the hell?"
Where a day before packs and rolls, along with Challenger's equipment and their supplies had littered the small clearing, now there was nothing. Not even a depression in the grass indicated that someone had slept here for the previous two days.
"Challenger!" Roxton called out into the dimming evening, expecting and receiving no response.
Marguerite slowly shook her head. "I told you; they've gone back to the tree house and left us here."
"Marguerite, stop. You know as well as I that if they realized we would come back here, they'd no more leave us then I'd leave you. If, and I do mean if, they've gone back to the tree house, they likely believe that is where we were headed after our separation. Otherwise, I'd wager they've moved on in their search for us."
She clenched her jaw, biting back a scathing remark as she pondered Roxton's words. "Fine, but where does that leave us?"
Roxton shrugged. "In the morning we'll head down to the lake and clean up, and then we'll start back to the tree house ourselves. If, as you say, Veronica and Challenger have returned home, I'm sure we'll each have a few interesting stories to share at the very least."
"You are a trusting fool, Lord Roxton."
The hunter moved to Marguerite's side, slipping a finger under her chin to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. "You could learn a lesson or two from me, Ms. Krux," he muttered softly, surprising the dark haired beauty with a gentle kiss. "See where trust can lead?"
"Hmm, yes, just as I supposed: lost in the jungle, abandoned by friends and family to be fed upon by raptors. Trust is a wonderful thing."
"Marguerite..." Roxton began, exasperation clear in his every tone until the woman before him broke into soft laughter.
"Roxton, I'm joking." True to her words her eyes sparkled brightly, and even Roxton had to laugh a moment as he shook his head. "Now, as long as the great hunter has no other plans for our evening, I'm going to sleep."
Lifting an eyebrow, his eyes danced with humor. "Now that you mention it..."
"You'll be happy to take first watch? Lovely." She grinned. "Goodnight, John."
"Goodnight, Marguerite."
******
"They've been here, haven't they?" Veronica's voice betrayed her sudden excitement as she glanced around the disheveled camp they'd left spotless that afternoon.
"I'd wager they are still here, my dear." Challenger's tone matched Veronica's for pleasure. "It would appear you were right, Veronica. Had we gone back to the tree house we'd have missed them entirely."
"Now that we have them, though, what do we do? I mean, we can't cross over until dawn at the earliest..."
"Then I suggest we get some sleep. As soon as possible we cross the barrier and bring our friends home."
Veronica smiled beautifully, glancing up at the sky now filled with brilliant spots of light. She'd never admit it to the others, but each time they were separated a slow fear grew in the jungle girl's heart that they'd not see each other again. Her parent's disappearance spawned that fear at an early age, but now, with the end of their latest adventure in sight, the clenching inside her began to ease. In the morning they'd find Roxton and Marguerite and her world would be set right again.
Challenger watched the emotions cross the young woman's face, and smiled softly to himself. Perhaps they all realized that they'd filled a spot in Veronica's life she barely even realized was empty, but never so much as the professor understood now. Perhaps in the future he'd find an extra hour here and there to spend with the girl and encourage the others to do the same.
A tender smile softened Veronica's features as she caught Challenger watching her, and she shook her head, looping an arm through his as they turned back to camp. Then again, Challenger supposed, perhaps the extra time wasn't needed. He matched Veronica's smile and gently gave the girl's hand a quick pat before they both settled down for the night's rest.
Perhaps just having everyone together was enough for them all.
End Part Six.
Disclaimer: See part one.
Phased and Confused
Part Six
By: Danae Bowen
Email: logansfox@rogers.com
The trek back to camp took far longer than Roxton had hoped.
When they'd awoken as the sun rose to burn the sky, Roxton and Marguerite paused only for a sip of water and a few bites of fruit before beginning their slow, and for Marguerite, painful walk across the rapidly warming jungle. Still weakened by her infection, Marguerite required far more rest stops than normal, slowing their progress even further. Concern tinged Roxton's expression each time he glanced back at her and found her brow drenched in sweat and a look of intense concentration on her face as she forced one foot in front of the other for countless kilometers.
Hours had passed when Marguerite's vision began to swim before her, and suddenly unable to call for Roxton's help, she sagged heavily against a tree. Sliding to the ground, the rough bark of the tree scraping at her tender flesh, she whimpered and buried her face in her hands.
Unaware of Marguerite's situation, Roxton continued onwards, painstakingly tracking the way back to the small lake where this had all began so few hours before. Five minutes passed before he looked over his shoulder to check Marguerite's progress and noticed her missing.
"Marguerite? Marguerite!"
He found her again, not far behind him on the trail, leaning her shoulder against a tree. As he approached, rather than the vehement look Roxton anticipated, Marguerite cast him a sheepish expression.
"I know. I should have asked for a stop, you needn't remind me," she muttered quickly, instantly defensive against his look of reproach.
Roxton shook his head quickly, softening his expression, trying to make her see that he was angry with himself rather than the wounded heiress. "Come now, Marguerite, you've never been shy about asking for breaks before, don't start now," he teased gently, lowering himself to sit beside her.
"Are you in much pain?"
She shrugged. "No worse, no better I suppose."
"Shall I check your wrap?" His concerned expression was enough to force Marguerite to relent, sighing in defeat as she slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
"You know, technically we would be considered married in some cultures," Marguerite quipped lightly as Roxton gently unwrapped her back. "The number of times I've removed my clothing for you over the years is growing indecent."
"Yes, but I've been nothing but a gentleman," he smiled tightly, probing her wounds with gentle fingers.
"On most occasions," she conceded.
"Why, Marguerite, are you implying that I would have any motive for getting you out of your clothing beyond that of your continuing good health?" Roxton's eyes sparkled brilliantly, much relieved by the sight of healing flesh and Marguerite's good humor. Wasting no time, he generously began lathering a fresh layer of healing balm over her back, smothering a chuckle at her wince of distaste when the scent hit her nostrils.
"When I smell this awful? Somehow I doubt it." She craned her neck, glancing over her shoulder at her troublesome back. A gasp passed her lips as she caught sight of the ruined flesh, horror filling her eyes. "My lord! Tell me that isn't as bad as it looks!"
"It isn't as bad as it looks." His voice was even, his tone reassuring as he recapped the jar of balm and carefully began re-wrapping Marguerite's back.
She bit her lip, turning away from the sight. "How can you stand to look at me? I'm going to be scarred for life!"
"The scars should be minimal. It looks worse than it actually is due to the inflammation from the infection. Once the infection is completely gone, you'll begin to see a vast difference. I promise you, love, you'll hardly even notice once they've healed." He grinned. "Trust me; you've seen some of my scars."
"That, Lord Roxton, is not a comforting thought."
"Ah, but, Marguerite, I do quite well when it comes to gauging how poorly a wound will heal. Besides, you'll always be beautiful to me." With a final check of her wrap, he paused to drop a gentle kiss against her temple before rising to his feet. "Come on, now, put your shirt back on and we'll have something to eat before we start again."
*****
"We should have waited for them, Challenger. There had to be something we could do to get our message across without leaving them in the jungle."
Challenger smiled tightly as he and Veronica continued their long journey across the plateau. "Returning to the tree house is our only viable option, Veronica. We need a haven where Roxton and Marguerite will feel comfortable enough to move about without gauging their actions. Once we begin to notice the movement of objects we ourselves have not touched, we will be aware of their presence and can begin putting our plan into motion."
"And what exactly is our plan?"
"To inform them of their situation and return to the solar phase barrier."
"Great, so all we need to do is find a way to cross the phase barrier without actually crossing it, two days journey away from the thing, convince Roxton and Marguerite that we are who we say we are, get them to return to the exact place and exact time they were phased, and hope they cross over correctly?"
"Now you're catching on." Challenger's small joke fell flat as Veronica's concerned expression never wavered. The professor sighed softly. "Veronica, this is our only option beyond one of us crossing the phase barrier and searching for Roxton and Marguerite on our own."
"At least then we'd be doing something other than waiting. You've said it isn't dangerous, so I don't understand why we're heading home rather than doing what we know we can."
"Veronica..."
"Challenger, you know how highly I value your opinion, right?"
"Of course, my dear."
"Then please don't take offense when I say this, but this time you're wrong." Veronica sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stared out over the jungle. "We're running on the hope that Roxton finds Marguerite and they both return to the tree house, but you know Roxton as well as I do, and the first thing they're going to do is begin looking for us. Without knowing about the phase barrier, they'll only find us if they cross it unknowingly at exactly the right moment. The odds on that happening again are...?"
"Incredible."
"Exactly! But if we cross the barrier and actively search for them, we'll be able to find them and explain what's happened and bring them back to the barrier with half the trouble it would take to do things your way." She paused. "Besides, how were you hoping to contact them anyway? I don't think either of us is willing to touch that Ouija board again."
Challenger sighed. "All right, Veronica, all right. Rather than take the journey to the tree house immediately, we'll give twenty-four hours to your plan. If we've not found them by dusk tomorrow, we cross back and return to the tree house." He caught her gaze, holding it steady. "Fair?"
Slowly she nodded. "Fair."
"Then we'd best be on our way back. At the rate the sun is falling, we may not be able to cross over until morning."
"Let's just hope Roxton and Marguerite haven't gone very far."
*******
"Come on, Marguerite, not far now."
"For God's sake, John, you said that two hours ago."
Roxton glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "It kept you going, didn't it?"
"Have I told you how amusing you are?"
"Not lately."
"Good."
He chuckled and dropped his pace to walk along side her, relieved at her show of spirit. "This time it's the truth. The camp is just beyond that hillside. If you look at just the right moment, you can see the sun reflected off the lake you were bathing in. Another half an hour at most."
Marguerite sighed and shifted her shoulders painfully. "Hopefully Challenger will have something more effective than that balm in his pack."
"You're in pain again?" Roxton's voice was immediately morose, thinking he'd caused Marguerite's wounds to worsen yet again.
"Just aching now," she comforted smoothly, for once ignoring the instinct to exaggerate her situation.
Roxton's eyebrow lifted as he examined her features for any sign that she was covering any serious ailment, but she met his gaze with a smile and shrugged. "If we're only a half hour off, Roxton, why are we wasting time standing here talking?"
With one last glance to make sure Marguerite was telling the truth, Roxton sighed and increased their pace yet again.
True to his word, less than a half an hour later they walked into what used to be their camp, and a frown instantly crossed Roxton's face. "What the hell?"
Where a day before packs and rolls, along with Challenger's equipment and their supplies had littered the small clearing, now there was nothing. Not even a depression in the grass indicated that someone had slept here for the previous two days.
"Challenger!" Roxton called out into the dimming evening, expecting and receiving no response.
Marguerite slowly shook her head. "I told you; they've gone back to the tree house and left us here."
"Marguerite, stop. You know as well as I that if they realized we would come back here, they'd no more leave us then I'd leave you. If, and I do mean if, they've gone back to the tree house, they likely believe that is where we were headed after our separation. Otherwise, I'd wager they've moved on in their search for us."
She clenched her jaw, biting back a scathing remark as she pondered Roxton's words. "Fine, but where does that leave us?"
Roxton shrugged. "In the morning we'll head down to the lake and clean up, and then we'll start back to the tree house ourselves. If, as you say, Veronica and Challenger have returned home, I'm sure we'll each have a few interesting stories to share at the very least."
"You are a trusting fool, Lord Roxton."
The hunter moved to Marguerite's side, slipping a finger under her chin to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. "You could learn a lesson or two from me, Ms. Krux," he muttered softly, surprising the dark haired beauty with a gentle kiss. "See where trust can lead?"
"Hmm, yes, just as I supposed: lost in the jungle, abandoned by friends and family to be fed upon by raptors. Trust is a wonderful thing."
"Marguerite..." Roxton began, exasperation clear in his every tone until the woman before him broke into soft laughter.
"Roxton, I'm joking." True to her words her eyes sparkled brightly, and even Roxton had to laugh a moment as he shook his head. "Now, as long as the great hunter has no other plans for our evening, I'm going to sleep."
Lifting an eyebrow, his eyes danced with humor. "Now that you mention it..."
"You'll be happy to take first watch? Lovely." She grinned. "Goodnight, John."
"Goodnight, Marguerite."
******
"They've been here, haven't they?" Veronica's voice betrayed her sudden excitement as she glanced around the disheveled camp they'd left spotless that afternoon.
"I'd wager they are still here, my dear." Challenger's tone matched Veronica's for pleasure. "It would appear you were right, Veronica. Had we gone back to the tree house we'd have missed them entirely."
"Now that we have them, though, what do we do? I mean, we can't cross over until dawn at the earliest..."
"Then I suggest we get some sleep. As soon as possible we cross the barrier and bring our friends home."
Veronica smiled beautifully, glancing up at the sky now filled with brilliant spots of light. She'd never admit it to the others, but each time they were separated a slow fear grew in the jungle girl's heart that they'd not see each other again. Her parent's disappearance spawned that fear at an early age, but now, with the end of their latest adventure in sight, the clenching inside her began to ease. In the morning they'd find Roxton and Marguerite and her world would be set right again.
Challenger watched the emotions cross the young woman's face, and smiled softly to himself. Perhaps they all realized that they'd filled a spot in Veronica's life she barely even realized was empty, but never so much as the professor understood now. Perhaps in the future he'd find an extra hour here and there to spend with the girl and encourage the others to do the same.
A tender smile softened Veronica's features as she caught Challenger watching her, and she shook her head, looping an arm through his as they turned back to camp. Then again, Challenger supposed, perhaps the extra time wasn't needed. He matched Veronica's smile and gently gave the girl's hand a quick pat before they both settled down for the night's rest.
Perhaps just having everyone together was enough for them all.
End Part Six.