A/N: Thank you all so much for the e-mails and reviews!!! They have made
me really excited about writing this story. I did some thinking and
research in the little free time I had this week, so I know where I'm going
with this story. I haven't read anyone else's 4th season fics yet, and I'm
not going to until I finish this story (which will probably put me in
withdrawal, but I guess it's a sacrifice I must make) because I want to
write the story, and then see if my ideas come close to what anyone else
was thinking. Please continue to let me know what you think!!!! Oh yeah,
and again, I disclaim!
While the four explorers were analyzing their part of the adventure, Veronica was involved in an investigation of her own. Though still unreachable by the outside world, her subconscious was actively engaged in a dream world.
Veronica "awoke" face down in the grass. The last thing she remembered was standing in the tree house, bathed in light with strange words coming from her lips. Then it all went black.
"I'm still alive," she thought, somewhat amazed after all that had happened. "I must have done it! I must have saved the Plateau! But, where are the others?"
She slowly sat up, and began to take in her surroundings. She seemed to be in the middle of a field, but she didn't recognize it. She was sitting on soft, dewy grass, and the sky above her was a beautiful cerulean blue, with no sign of the storm that had arisen only.how long ago had it been? It occurred to Veronica that she had no concept of time, or how long she had been out. She looked around for more clues as to her whereabouts, but heavy mist prevented her from seeing any further.
"Well," she said, "I'm not going to find anything out just by sitting here. I need to go find my friends." She got to her feet. "I guess it doesn't matter which direction I go, since I can't see very far ahead from here." She picked a direction and began walking, but after several minutes, she still hadn't seen anything except the fog covered field. She picked up her pace, and began calling out the names of her friends, in hopes that they too had landed in this field. "Finn? Challenger?" She started to run. "Marguerite? Roxton?" She ran until she was out of breath, which didn't take long since her body had been weakened by the storm. She stopped to catch her breath, crouching slightly to rest her hands on her knees.
Suddenly, the mist in front of her began to clear a little, forming a small path. Veronica watched as a figure appeared at the end of the path, and started coming towards her. The figure was difficult to make out at first because of the fog, but it slowly began to take shape. It was a tall, slender woman in a billowy white dress and flowing blonde hair. It didn't take Veronica long to realize who it was.
"Mom?!" she whispered, with tears stuck in her eyes. The figure was now directly in front of her. Veronica was awe struck. She was even more beautiful than Veronica remembered.
"Yes, Veronica. I am your mother." Abigail Layton smiled softly at her daughter. "You've grown into a strong, beautiful woman, Veronica. I'm so proud of you." She lovingly caressed her daughter's cheek.
Veronica's tears were now flowing freely. "I missed you so much, Mom."
"I missed you too, darling," her mother answered. "But there will be time for all of that later. Right now, you need to listen to me so that when you recover, you can begin your journey."
"What do you mean, recover? I feel a little winded, but I'll be fine tomorrow."
"Veronica, you don't understand. This is a dream."
"A dream? It can't be. It feels real, Mom. I feel tired from running. When I woke up, I felt the dew from the grass and the breeze. You can't feel things like that in dreams."
"This is a special dream, Veronica. It's difficult to explain, but believe me, that's what it is. The storm took a lot out of you. And the tremendous energy that you unleashed knocked you out. Right now, you are laying in the tree house with five very worried friends caring for you. But don't worry. You'll be just fine. You just need time to recover."
"Wait a minute," Veronica responded. "Did you say five friends?"
"Yes. And one of them especially is quite concerned about you. I believe you are very special to him."
"Ned! He's back?!"
"Yes. But we're wasting precious time. We need to talk so that you can rest. You can learn about your friends when you wake up. Right now, we need to discuss your future, and the future of the Plateau."
Veronica's mind began to race. She had so many questions for her mother, especially about what had happened during the storm. And, what if her mother was here to tell her it was her time to take over as Protector? As wonderful as it would be to have her mother with her again, the thought of leaving her family killed her, especially now that Ned was back.
"Mother, what happened to me during that storm? How did I know those words? Were you speaking through me?"
"No, Veronica. I have acquired a good deal of power as Protector, but that is beyond me. That came from within you. You invoked the power of the Goddess."
"The Goddess? I don't understand. Is it my time to become the Protector?"
"No, Veronica. It's not time. And hopefully, it never will be. The time has come-all of the signs have been pointing to it. You have one chance to fulfill your destiny. There is a task you must complete. If you succeed, you will be free to leave the Plateau whenever you wish. If you fail, your fate will be sealed, you will be bound to the Plateau forever, and when I die, you will take over as Protector." Veronica's mother saw the fear and confusion in her daughter's eyes.
"I know this is a lot to take in right now. I won't go into anymore detail right now. There will be plenty of time for us to talk later. I just needed to prepare you for what is in store. Listen to me very carefully, Veronica. When I leave you, you must sleep. You must give your body time to heal. When you wake, continue to rest until your body is well again. You will need all of your strength for what is to come, and you will only hurt matters if you try to go on your quest before your body is ready to handle it. Once you are healed, wait for a sign. You will know when it happens. And as soon as the sign comes, you and your friends must set out on a journey. Pack enough supplies for three days and three nights, and walk in the direction of the inland sea."
"Where are we going, Mother?"
"You're coming to Avalon, Veronica. There you will learn all that you need to know about your quest. I must leave you to your rest now. But don't worry. It won't be long before we meet again. And the next time, it will be real. I love you, darling girl."
"I love you too, Mom."
Veronica's mother turned and walked back through the path, and the fog closed in behind her. Veronica tried to reflect on what her mother had said, but her mind seemed fuzzy. She laid down on the dewy grass and fell asleep.
Finn dipped a fresh cloth in the basin of Challenger's remedy, wrung it out, and placed it on Veronica's head. She heard footsteps, and looked up to see Malone in the doorway.
"How is she," he asked.
"About the same," Finn answered. "Though I think this poultice is taking the fever down a little. Hopefully, it will keep working."
He came over to the bedside, and looked down at Veronica. "I'd like to take over now, if you don't mind."
Finn smiled. "No problem. Vee's probably sick of me rambling to her anyway."
Malone managed a small smile. He was grateful to Finn for being so good to Veronica. It was probably good for Veronica to hear Finn's voice. That way, she knew her friends were close.
Finn got up, and Malone sat down in the stool that she had occupied.
"Finn?" Malone called after her.
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
Finn smiled at the man that Veronica loved. It was obvious he loved her too. She hoped that her friend would wake up soon so that she could see just how much she meant to this man. "Anytime," she said, and went out to join the others in the living area.
Malone took Veronica's hand, brought it to his lips briefly, and then held onto it. "Come back to me, Veronica," he pleaded.
While the four explorers were analyzing their part of the adventure, Veronica was involved in an investigation of her own. Though still unreachable by the outside world, her subconscious was actively engaged in a dream world.
Veronica "awoke" face down in the grass. The last thing she remembered was standing in the tree house, bathed in light with strange words coming from her lips. Then it all went black.
"I'm still alive," she thought, somewhat amazed after all that had happened. "I must have done it! I must have saved the Plateau! But, where are the others?"
She slowly sat up, and began to take in her surroundings. She seemed to be in the middle of a field, but she didn't recognize it. She was sitting on soft, dewy grass, and the sky above her was a beautiful cerulean blue, with no sign of the storm that had arisen only.how long ago had it been? It occurred to Veronica that she had no concept of time, or how long she had been out. She looked around for more clues as to her whereabouts, but heavy mist prevented her from seeing any further.
"Well," she said, "I'm not going to find anything out just by sitting here. I need to go find my friends." She got to her feet. "I guess it doesn't matter which direction I go, since I can't see very far ahead from here." She picked a direction and began walking, but after several minutes, she still hadn't seen anything except the fog covered field. She picked up her pace, and began calling out the names of her friends, in hopes that they too had landed in this field. "Finn? Challenger?" She started to run. "Marguerite? Roxton?" She ran until she was out of breath, which didn't take long since her body had been weakened by the storm. She stopped to catch her breath, crouching slightly to rest her hands on her knees.
Suddenly, the mist in front of her began to clear a little, forming a small path. Veronica watched as a figure appeared at the end of the path, and started coming towards her. The figure was difficult to make out at first because of the fog, but it slowly began to take shape. It was a tall, slender woman in a billowy white dress and flowing blonde hair. It didn't take Veronica long to realize who it was.
"Mom?!" she whispered, with tears stuck in her eyes. The figure was now directly in front of her. Veronica was awe struck. She was even more beautiful than Veronica remembered.
"Yes, Veronica. I am your mother." Abigail Layton smiled softly at her daughter. "You've grown into a strong, beautiful woman, Veronica. I'm so proud of you." She lovingly caressed her daughter's cheek.
Veronica's tears were now flowing freely. "I missed you so much, Mom."
"I missed you too, darling," her mother answered. "But there will be time for all of that later. Right now, you need to listen to me so that when you recover, you can begin your journey."
"What do you mean, recover? I feel a little winded, but I'll be fine tomorrow."
"Veronica, you don't understand. This is a dream."
"A dream? It can't be. It feels real, Mom. I feel tired from running. When I woke up, I felt the dew from the grass and the breeze. You can't feel things like that in dreams."
"This is a special dream, Veronica. It's difficult to explain, but believe me, that's what it is. The storm took a lot out of you. And the tremendous energy that you unleashed knocked you out. Right now, you are laying in the tree house with five very worried friends caring for you. But don't worry. You'll be just fine. You just need time to recover."
"Wait a minute," Veronica responded. "Did you say five friends?"
"Yes. And one of them especially is quite concerned about you. I believe you are very special to him."
"Ned! He's back?!"
"Yes. But we're wasting precious time. We need to talk so that you can rest. You can learn about your friends when you wake up. Right now, we need to discuss your future, and the future of the Plateau."
Veronica's mind began to race. She had so many questions for her mother, especially about what had happened during the storm. And, what if her mother was here to tell her it was her time to take over as Protector? As wonderful as it would be to have her mother with her again, the thought of leaving her family killed her, especially now that Ned was back.
"Mother, what happened to me during that storm? How did I know those words? Were you speaking through me?"
"No, Veronica. I have acquired a good deal of power as Protector, but that is beyond me. That came from within you. You invoked the power of the Goddess."
"The Goddess? I don't understand. Is it my time to become the Protector?"
"No, Veronica. It's not time. And hopefully, it never will be. The time has come-all of the signs have been pointing to it. You have one chance to fulfill your destiny. There is a task you must complete. If you succeed, you will be free to leave the Plateau whenever you wish. If you fail, your fate will be sealed, you will be bound to the Plateau forever, and when I die, you will take over as Protector." Veronica's mother saw the fear and confusion in her daughter's eyes.
"I know this is a lot to take in right now. I won't go into anymore detail right now. There will be plenty of time for us to talk later. I just needed to prepare you for what is in store. Listen to me very carefully, Veronica. When I leave you, you must sleep. You must give your body time to heal. When you wake, continue to rest until your body is well again. You will need all of your strength for what is to come, and you will only hurt matters if you try to go on your quest before your body is ready to handle it. Once you are healed, wait for a sign. You will know when it happens. And as soon as the sign comes, you and your friends must set out on a journey. Pack enough supplies for three days and three nights, and walk in the direction of the inland sea."
"Where are we going, Mother?"
"You're coming to Avalon, Veronica. There you will learn all that you need to know about your quest. I must leave you to your rest now. But don't worry. It won't be long before we meet again. And the next time, it will be real. I love you, darling girl."
"I love you too, Mom."
Veronica's mother turned and walked back through the path, and the fog closed in behind her. Veronica tried to reflect on what her mother had said, but her mind seemed fuzzy. She laid down on the dewy grass and fell asleep.
Finn dipped a fresh cloth in the basin of Challenger's remedy, wrung it out, and placed it on Veronica's head. She heard footsteps, and looked up to see Malone in the doorway.
"How is she," he asked.
"About the same," Finn answered. "Though I think this poultice is taking the fever down a little. Hopefully, it will keep working."
He came over to the bedside, and looked down at Veronica. "I'd like to take over now, if you don't mind."
Finn smiled. "No problem. Vee's probably sick of me rambling to her anyway."
Malone managed a small smile. He was grateful to Finn for being so good to Veronica. It was probably good for Veronica to hear Finn's voice. That way, she knew her friends were close.
Finn got up, and Malone sat down in the stool that she had occupied.
"Finn?" Malone called after her.
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
Finn smiled at the man that Veronica loved. It was obvious he loved her too. She hoped that her friend would wake up soon so that she could see just how much she meant to this man. "Anytime," she said, and went out to join the others in the living area.
Malone took Veronica's hand, brought it to his lips briefly, and then held onto it. "Come back to me, Veronica," he pleaded.