A/N — inspired by Aspect, SRP2017, and Scousedancer. xoxo — tmtcltb

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Will Mason

St. Louis — between seasons 2 and 3

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"Ensign Mason."

Will's head jerked at the sound of Commander Foster, er, Green's voice, almost dropping the screwdriver that he was holding. He was currently under the console in an attempt to figure out why the sonar was offline even though power had been restored. No doubt someone from engineering could have fixed the problem in two minutes but, with so many people from engineering assigned to land teams, Will was the only one around. He scooted out far enough to see the Commander's boots and her outstretched hand.

He took the hand but made sure to put most of his weight on his free arm as he stood. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Captain Slattery needs to speak with you," she replied, before reaching out her hand for his headlamp and tools. She pulled on the headlamp and was lowering herself to the floor before Will realized what she was doing. He shifted awkwardly. "Would you like me to find someone to do that, ma'am?"

Commander Foster gave him an even look, before her features softened. "People are still being found, Will. It may be good news. Now get going."

The walk down the corridor was brief. Will knocked on the door, waiting to be summoned before entering the Captain's cabin. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Mason." Slattery nodded. "I'll get right to it. I know that your parents live close to Flagstaff, Arizona. We've made contact with a group in that area. Lieutenant Green's team is currently in Albuquerque, heading in that direction. If you want to join them, there's a cargo plane with supplies and doses of the cure leaving in an hour. Be on it."

"Yes, sir," Will responded automatically, before asking. "Sir, if I may, who was the contact in Flagstaff?"

"Some woman calling herself," Captain Slattery paused, shuffling on his desk. "Healer Celeste. There was apparently a whole lot of discussion about crystals and ricky..."

"Reiki," Will corrected, only to realize too late that he had just interrupted his commanding officer.

"Anyway, Green got tired of the mumbo-jumbo and cut her off. Which reminds me. Consider yourself a member of Lieutenant Green's team for the duration of this assignment. That means," Slattery said, voice stern, "if Green says get your ass in the Humvee and go, that you get your ass in the Humvee and go."

Will gulped. "Yes, sir, I understand."

Slattery set down his coffee. "I don't mean to sound harsh, Ensign. I understand that your focus will be on locating your family and that you may not see the area as dangerous. But remember that the virus has changed things. This won't be the same town that you left."

xxx

Twelve hours later, Will was wishing that he had given slightly more thought to what he packed in his mad dash to make the plane. His hands were freezing, despite the camp grill that Tex Nolan had set up. They were currently hanging out across the street from the Tribal Offices in the Pueblo of Zuni, while the Tribal Council decided how to handle the spread of the cure through the reservation. There was only a dusting of snow on the ground, but the temperature was hovering around zero and Will was desperate for a pair of gloves.

He was blowing on his freezing fingers when Lieutenant Green turned and noticed him. He studied Will, then his face broke into a grin. "Forget your cold-weather gear, Mason?"

"Yes, sir," Will replied, pretending not to notice Cruz nudging Miller and whispering something. Miller shot a look at Will, then turned towards the Humvees. Mortified, Will pretended to examine the mesa in the distance. This was definitely not the impression he wanted to make around the TAC team. As far as Will could tell, nothing rattled these guys.

A minute later, Miller reappeared, holding a pair of gloves out to Will. His confusion must have been obvious because Green chuckled. "Remember those boxes of supplies that we loaded from the plane? One of the things that Flagstaff needs with the power out is heavier clothing. We've got boxes of hats and gloves. Even coats if you need one."

"Thank...thank you, Lieutenant, Petty Officer," Will stuttered.

Just then the doors to the Tribal Offices opened, and Lieutenants Green and Burk headed towards the Tribal Officials. As Will tugged on his gloves, Miller gave him a slap on the back. "We've all been there, man. Those last few hours of waiting are hell. Keep your head up."

xxx

"An observatory seems like a weird place for a safe zone," Lieutenant Burk muttered from the front of the Humvee as they came over a hill and caught sight of the building in the distance. "Maybe because of the elevation?"

"Mason knows the place best," Tex Nolan offered. He looked over at Will. "Any reason why they might have picked this place?"

"Flagstaff doesn't have many large spaces," Will offered. "The observatory would have housed the most people."

"Makes sense," Lieutenant Green replied. Will didn't offer his second explanation — which was that Sister Celeste might have wanted a location where she could see the stars. As they came around a corner, giving them a clear view all the way to the Observatory, Green pulled up the Humvee. "What the hell?"

In front of them stretched rows and rows of RVs. Tex chuckled. "Guess they picked this spot because it had the biggest parking lot."

"RVs are common here," Will offered, before blurting. "My parents live in one full time. They're part of a group based on Flagstaff that moves from one national park to another. I'm not even sure they were here when the virus hit. "

Lieutenant Green studied Will in the rear-view mirror before he placed the Humvee in park. Next to them, Petty Officer Cruz climbed out of the second Humvee. Once they were all out of the vehicles, Green spoke. "Looks like we're going to be walking. Burk and Cruz with me. Miller and Lynch, wait here until we know if it's safe to move the gear." He turned to Will. "Mason, stay with Tex. At the first sign of trouble, the two of you fall back and call it in."

"What about them?" Will asked Tex as Green, Burk, and Cruz disappeared ahead of them.

Tex slipped his baseball cap onto his head. "They can take care of themselves."

The walk to the Observatory could have taken ten minutes or an hour. Tex kept up a steady stream of chatter, but Will couldn't hear over the pounding of his own heart. Will knew better than to wander off into the sea of RVs, but couldn't help but crane his head, searching for someone he knew. But other than a few polite nods, nobody acknowledged their presence as Will and Tex made their way through the make-shift town. Finally, they reached the front of the Observatory, where Lieutenant Green stood talking with a tall woman wearing a long, purple cloak. Next to her, in similar garb, stood a very familiar face.

"Mrs. Garcia!" Will shouted, lifting a hand.

Mrs. Garcia hurried towards Will. "Rebel! You're alive!"

The woman next to Lieutenant Green looked as well, raising an eyebrow. "Lucia?"

"That's Rebel. He's Rain and Lake's boy."

The woman dropped her head. "Thank you, Universe, for returning this child's body to us in addition to his spirit."

Tex looked at Will, amused. "Rebel?"

Will flushed, mumbling. "My middle name."

The woman in charge turned back to Lieutenant Green. "Now, Mr. Green, as I was saying..."

"No," Green interrupted. "I have a wife and a baby on the way. If you want the supplies that we brought, you will have to accept that we are armed. If that's a problem, there are plenty of other people who still need the cure. We're happy to leave."

Will swore that he could have heard a pin drop in the resulting silence. Mrs. Garcia stopped halfway to Will, turning. "Sister Celeste, while I do not doubt that you see great darkness contained in these warriors, we must also consider that they have returned one of our children to us. Surely this is a gesture of goodwill."

Sister Celeste seemed to recognize this was her opportunity to back down without losing face. She turned to Will. "You are with these warriors voluntarily?"

"Yes, ma'am," Will replied.

Perhaps your travel companions would agree to a cleansing ceremony?"

Without looking, Will was certain that both Green and Burk rolled their eyes. "They would be open to a cleansing prayer, but there is no time for full immersion."

Sister Celeste nodded serenely. "All please come close as I call on the Universe to lift the darkness from these warriors and remind them of the true way forward, in harmony with all."

Mrs. Garcia took a moment to pull Will in for a tight hug. "Your parents will be so very happy."

"They're alive?" Will demanded, the blood rushing to his ears.

Mrs. Garcia smiled. "The Universe has been good to us. We were in Montana when word came of the illness striking people down. We were able to return home and resupply before the quarantines went into place. But tell me, is what your lieutenant over there said true? Do you have a vaccine for the Red Flu?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tex said, interjecting himself in the conversation. "Best of all, the cure is contagious. So all you need to do is pick twenty or so people to have the shots, then have yourself a big party."

Mrs. Garcia's eyes filled with tears. "Thank the goddess. I will be back." She squeezed Will's hand before returning to Sister Celeste's side.

Twenty minutes later, prayers were complete and the team had collected the Humvees. Upon discovering that the generator was non-operational, Tex offered to help one of the few employees of the Observatory in an effort to get the well and backup power working again.

As Lieutenant Green and Sister Celeste discussed how to spread the cure throughout the safe zone, as well as to other locals in the area, Mrs. Garcia approached Will. "Are you ready to find your parents, Rebel?"

Before Will could ask, Green waved a hand. "Take Miller with you. Send up a flare if you need help."

"Flares?" Sister Celeste's eyes grew wide.

Mrs. Garcia grabbed Will's arm. "Time to go."

They were around the corner when Miller spoke. "How do the two of you know each other?"

"Oh, I was Rebel's piano teacher," Mrs. Garcia replied. "I also make the best brownies in Flagstaff."

"I love brownies," Miller replied, and Will made a mental note to tell the guy not to eat anything at the camp.

"I'm not sure the Navy would approve of my special recipe," Mrs. Garcia said, winking at Will. She stepped up to a brown-and-green RV. "And here we are. Rain? Lake? Rebel is here!"

Will stepped through the familiar rainbow crystals that hung before the door, his nose recognizing the incense baked into the RVs interior. For a moment he thought that the RV was empty, but then he saw his mother, sitting on the floor in the corner of the RV, meditating. Her eyes opened. "Rebel? Are you there in truth or is this a vision?"

Behind Will, Miller stopped short as he realized that Lake was completely naked, her long hair hiding nothing. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. I'll just...I'll just." Miller stumbled to a stop, spinning in the opposite direction as Rain stood, pulling a caftan over her head.

"Hi Mom," Will whispered. He gave her a half smile. "We found the cure for the virus."

"Rebel, my precious child." Rain approached slowly, stretching out her hands to rest on Will's face for a moment, before folding him into her arms. "I have prayed every day for your safe return every day, my child. The reason that my life has meaning."

Wrapping his arms around his mother, Will held her, barely noticing the tears wetting his face. Eventually he pulled back. "I can't stay long, Mom. We came to deliver the cure to the virus and supplies for the safe zone but there are so many places we still need to reach. Is Dad here?"

"Yes, yes, Lake will want to see you." Rain's hands fluttered. "It's so strange to see you dressed like that, with your hair so short. Not that we mind, of course. You know how proud we are of you! Even if you did join ... Well, none of that. Let me go find your father." At the door to the RV, she turned, pursuing her lips together. "Do not leave until I return."

Will sniffed, blinking away a few remaining tears. "I'm not going anywhere."

As the door shut behind Rain, Miller spoke, reminding Will of his presence. "Your parents have some wild things. Is that a bong?"

"Probably," Will turned, then laughed. "That's a neti cup."

"A what?"

"A neti cup," Will repeated, only to realize that Miller still had no idea what he meant. "You, uh, use it to clean out your nostrils. For my dad's allergies."

Miller's eyes widened. "Never heard of it." He turned to the next thing on the shelf. "What is this sculpture? It looks kind of like a vajayjay." Miller laughed awkwardly.

Will raised an eyebrow. "It's a mold of my mother's vagina. She and Dad did that in some class about exploring your inner goddess."

Miller scowled. "Are you mocking me?"

"I..." Will stopped, deciding that this was exactly the reason that white lies were invented. "Sorry, Miller. I have no idea what that thing is. But I would recommend not touching anything. Mom and Dad don't have a lot of boundaries."

Miller spun in a circle, looking at the walls covered in blankets, photographs, handwritten notes, and random crystals. "You seriously grew up like this? And then you joined the Navy?"

A deep chuckle sounded from the door of the RV. "It's the nature of the bond between parent and child. Rain and I rebelled against our parents by becoming hippies. Will here rebelled by changing his name and joining the Navy."

Will turned, his smile deepening as he took in the grizzled man, beard now almost snowy-white, who stood in the doorway to the RV. And, for the first time since Captain Slattery asked to speak with him, Will could breathe. "Dad."